The Curse of the Stradivarius
by Double Moon
Summary: AU SQUINOA A genius violinist, a cursed instrument, & a performance of death. An ancient relic of evil posessing the fiddlers who bear its bow, & two souls searching for love. Can the Strad be destroyed before its spell of death is passed on? R&R please.
1. Chapter 1: La Concerto del Morte

Note: Hi everyone! This is my second fan fic released to commemorate the Fourth of July. It is an extremely AU fic, as you would notice if you read further on. I hope you like this one, and if you have something to say about it, please do in the reviews. Happy Independence Day everyone!  
  
La Concerto del Morte  
  
A lively, opulent crowd gathered in the main hall of New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. The night was young, and the beautiful scarlet carpet was littered with men dressed in the finest Italian suits and women resplendent in the most luxurious designer gowns. Wealthy patrons walked about, chatting with their fellow music lovers about the latest news rocking the silent world of the classical art. Above the room, a beautiful poster read "The Seduction of the Violin Tour: One Night Only in Carnegie Hall." On it was a picture of an ancient-looking violin, a rare piece made by the master himself—Antonio Stradivari. And in one corner of the richly decorated room were two young people bracing themselves against the wall, oblivious to the fact that most of their "companions" had mops of silver on their heads.  
  
"What time are they opening the doors? It's 7:30 and I can't wait any longer. How can these people stand through a waiting period like this?" said the youthful woman who wore a black dress that hugged her body nicely.  
  
Her escort for the evening, a tall, young man wearing a creamy, white tuxedo matched with a midnight black dress shirt and a tie, replied, "Well you know what rich farts like to do." Fiddling with his fingers a bit to form a graceful mockery of a socialite gesture, he continued in an obviously faked British accent, "Oh darling, did you hear about Maria's yacht? It sank it the Pacific Ocean last week with her five billion dollar jewels! And they were Bvlgari! What a waste! I could have bought all of that you know? I mean, my husband is some rich tycoon who can afford Angola!"  
  
The young woman stifled a laugh and slapped her friend's mouth playfully and said, "Seifer, shut up! You can do that when we're outside. Can't you see that we're around these...what did you call them again?"  
  
Seifer smirked and replied, "Rich farts."  
  
"Yeah! Oh shut up will you! Sometimes I wonder why I even go out with you," the woman replied while crossing her arms, the dark grey silk shawl on her shoulders falling slightly to expose her creamy white shoulder.  
  
Gently replacing the shawl where it used to be, he tenderly whispered into the lady's ear, "That's because I love you and you love me Quistis Trepe."  
  
"Sounds corny, but I like it," replied Quistis while leaning over to kiss her boyfriend's cheek. Being in a place like this, it was very inappropriate for them to engage in one of their passionate kisses. "You know, you just said something that sounds very much like the lyrics from the Barney the Dinosaur theme song."  
  
"I like Barney," Seifer replied while taking her into his arms, caressing her spine delicately with his fingers.  
  
Quistis almost melted into his gaze and was about to kiss him when the ushers opened the door to the auditorium, gesturing for the guests to come in.  
  
Seifer winked at Quistis and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"  
  
Quistis held her head up high slightly to emphasize her elegant neckline (which was much more beautiful than the ones the other billion-dollar woman had, mind you), and took Seifer's arm while returning his wink. Drawing two tickets out of their purse, a young usher directed them to their seats, ones that were situated right in front of the stage. Tonight was the night that they had decided to celebrate their anniversary as a couple together. Although Seifer was the type who would have slept through a recital such as this one, he decided to come along for the sake of Quistis, a passionate lover of the art of the violin. After hours of listening to a new CD she had purchased a few days earlier in Virgin Records store, she decided that it was probably time to let out some cash.  
  
And this recital was most probably worth it—one that showcased the amazing virtuoso talents of world-famous violinist Rinoa Heartilly. Her fame had risen along with a most celebrated performance in the Paris Opera House, and so it went on. She began touring the most noted houses of classical music around the world—from the La Scala Opera House to Covent Garden to the Met to the Vienna Opera House and tonight, New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall. Her Stradivarius violin, the famous Cremona "Seduzione" (seduction) 1715, was rumored to have the richest depth and sound of any of the master's great instruments. It was a delight to listen to her, and Seifer, who had at first protested about coming to a recital with a bunch of snooty rich people, was immediately taken by storm after listening to one of the pieces Quistis had encouraged him to listen to. Lured by the seductive sounds of the Italian masterpiece, and by the dexterity of Rinoa Heartilly's lightning fingers, he agreed to come for a night of music and celebration with his honey.  
  
"Seifer what time is it?" Quistis asked as she turned of her cellular phone in her purse.  
  
"It's almost 8:00, about 10 minutes left. Why so impatient Quisty?" he asked, placing his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Seifer, I'm excited. I've been dying to see this concert. I have been waiting for over an hour. My legs are tired from standing. It's almost 8:00 but not quite. I am a big fan of Rinoa Heartilly," she said in an irritated monotone. "If you want to know why I am impatient, maybe you should use your common sense to understand that I am itching to listen to her music."  
  
Seifer said, "Whoa! Don't need to get all sarcastic you know?" She continued to stare at him blankly. "Okay, I'm sorry!"  
  
Quistis just smiled and kissed his lips softly, "Alright, I forgive you. So what time is it again?"  
  
Seifer laughed at her choice of words and showed her his watch. The clock read 7:58, two minutes before Rinoa's recital. Quistis began tapping her fingers on the armrest, wondering if she had probably gone too early. Just when she was about to get lost into her own world of thought, the lights in the auditorium dimmed, and the rich, full sounds of the famed Seduzione began resonating in the chambers of the auditorium. The introductory piece, the Fifth Caprice from Niccolo Paganini's famed 24 Caprices Opus 1, enthralled the entire audience as the curtains were drawn to reveal a beautiful Eurasian woman playing the violin superfluously as she sat on a small stool that supported her weight. Her sounds mesmerized the audience, and when the full two and a half minutes of her bravura masterpiece had come to an end, she stopped, placing the horrendously expensive violin by her side and her bow on the other. The audience roared in applause, and she took a bow, stepping forward to grab the microphone in front of her.  
  
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," she stopped when the audience applauded her. She smiled warmly and continued, "It truly is wonderful to see all of you here tonight in my Seduction of the Violin Recital at Carnegie Hall. Thank you very much for sharing this evening with me, and I hope you will enjoy the selection of pieces I have chosen for you for tonight's recital. My next piece is Kriesler's Liebeslied for violin and piano, and accompanying me tonight is Carnegie Hall's resident pianist and a long time friend of mine, Irvine Kinneas." She gestured over to the left side of the stage and a handsome man wearing a black tuxedo came out. Having his hair done in a ponytail, he bowed to the audience and kissed Rinoa's hand lightly before taking his seat on the piano stool.  
  
And so began their enchanting duets of string and key—Rinoa effortlessly swinging her bow over the sacred instrument as Irvine gracefully played the keys like a tamer. The evening passed as beautiful music bounced back the acoustic walls of Carnegie Hall, and the audience would cheer and "Bravo!" the duo as they played their pieces of seduction. An hour later, after finishing a famous gypsy violin piece, Rinoa placed her Seduzione on a stand and approached Irvine Kinneas the pianist. Taking his hand, he brought him over to the audience and bowed down, with the curtain closing after the first two standing ovations.  
  
"I don't believe it! We paid this much for a one-hour recital?" Quistis screeched as she applauded the skillful musicians.  
  
"Uh, Quisty..." Seifer said while taking the program sheet from his coat pocket.  
  
"The nerve! I want more!" she said rather loudly, causing quite a few heads to look in her direction.  
  
Suddenly, the head patron of the concert announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be having a 20 minute intermission. Please be back 5 minutes before 9:20 PM."  
  
And with that, Quistis blushed heavily in front of Seifer and the staring crowd. "Yup! I want more after the 20 minute intermission!" she added with a sigh.  
  
"Hey, I told you to be more patient," Seifer gently said while taking his seat.  
  
"Sorry Seifer. I guess I was carried away by her performance. So...how did you like it?" she nudged the tall blonde.  
  
"Honestly, I've never been to a concert I've enjoyed this much. She's a great violinist, and that Irvine guy is a great pianist too," Seifer answered.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you enjo..." Quistis was suddenly interrupted in the middle of her sentence when she heard a voice calling her.  
  
"Quisty? Quistis Trepe? What are you doing here?"  
  
Quistis whirled around and came face to face with a perky brunette in a yellow dress with gravity defying hair. "Selphie?! I didn't know you went to these classical events!"  
  
Selphie laughed and placed the stray lock of hair covering her forehead behind her ear. "I sometimes do when my boyfriend is playing."  
  
Seifer overheard the words "boyfriend" and "playing" in the same sentence and turned around. "Irvine Kinneas the pianist is your boyfriend?!"  
  
Selphie took the momentarily empty spot beside Quistis and replied, "Yes! Irvine is really good. I mean can you believe I got free tickets? And this is a world tour!"  
  
Quistis' mouth dropped and she said, "You got free tickets and you didn't even tell us that you had connections?"  
  
Selphie fidgeted and said, "Well, I didn't know you wanted to go to Rinoa's concert. I mean, honestly, if I had known, I would have given you guys some tickets too!"  
  
Quistis put a hand on Selphie's shoulder and said, "Oh don't worry about it! I'm glad I paid for this. I mean, wasn't that gypsy piece just amazing? And the caprice! Wow!"  
  
Selphie laughed and agreed, "Yeah! It's as if her fingers were superhuman or something. Her Mozart solo was incredible! She's wonderful! Hey guys..."  
  
Seifer and Quistis said in unison, "Yeah?"  
  
"You know...I can get us in Rinoa's dressing room. I mean Irvine after all is her good friend so I guess it's pretty easy for us to get in as well," she mischievously suggested.  
  
Quistis stuttered, "Y-y-you c-c-can do that for m-m-me? Sure!"  
  
Selphie hugged her friend and said, "Oh that would be great! Hey, I think the concert's about to continue so I'll just scoot off to my seat!"  
  
Quistis gave her a girl peck on the cheek and said, "Alright! So where do we meet after the concert?"  
  
Selphie thought of it for a moment and answered, "What about right here?"  
  
Quistis said, "That would be great!"  
  
"Okay bye!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
Seifer put an arm around Quistis' shoulder and asked, "Why is it that when girls say goodbye, it takes them forever to do so?"  
  
Quistis leaned on his shoulder and said, "Because it's a girl thing. You wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain it." They just stayed in that position for a few more minutes until the curtains rose, and where there used to be only a stool and a piano was a fully equipped orchestra. After the audience gave their applause, Rinoa came in a sparkling red evening gown with her hair tied back in an attractive do (remember Julia in Galbadia Hotel) and her violin on her side. She waved to the audience and they cheered for her. Sitting down on the stool beside the conductor, she began adjusting her strings and checked for adjustments. When she was done, she smiled to the conductor and nodded. The conductor nodded back and waved his baton, signaling the orchestra to begin. After a brief musical introduction, Rinoa gracefully raised her bow and started running it through her Stradivarius, filling the room once again with its mesmerizing music.  
  
After three long concertos by Brahms, Bach, and Beethoven, the audience gave her a standing ovation and Rinoa complied by nodding, smiling, and bowing at the audience. The people in the front row handed a bouquet of roses to the instrumental genius and she gladly accepted it, placing the flowers in an upright position in her violin case. She stood there smiling, and when the audience settled down, she took the microphone in her hands.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, it would be a great honor to introduce to you Mr. Nida Ozawa and his wonderful orchestra. Much deserved applause for their beautiful music," she said with a heartwarming smile. The audience applauded and when they were done, she continued, "And for the final two pieces of the evening, Carnegie Hall's orchestra and I shall be doing Paganini's famous 24th caprice and the Tsardash Gipsy Violin Solo with Mr. Ozawa's orchestra."  
  
She took her seat on the stool and began playing the hair-raisingly difficult 24th caprice, switching from octaves and scales to plucks and other feats deemed impossible by amateur violinists. After the exhilarating performance was over, she took a deep breath and bowed to the audience and they stood and clapped their hands in appreciation. Rinoa gave them the most beautiful smile she could muster and once again spoke into the microphone.  
  
"Thank you once again ladies and gentlemen. Although this is the last piece for the evening," she chuckled when the audience groaned. "I must say that this is one of the most wonderful crowds I have ever performed with. I hope to see you again next time, and I do hope you have a wonderful evening. And now, for the finale, the Tsardash piece." Nida raised his baton once again, and the orchestra sounded their harmonious sounds, accompanying Rinoa as she played the seductive violin piece that had turned the world's attention to her. When the last note was sounded however, several bloodcurdling screams were heard from the audience as one by one, the patrons of the performance died on the spot. Rinoa turned pale, and immediately ran inside, carrying the Seduzione with her.  
  
"Oh Gosh Seifer, what happened?" Quistis asked the blonde.  
  
"I think all the patrons are dead," he answered, his knuckles white with fear.  
  
In the middle column of seats, Selphie Tilmitt stood up and signaled Quistis and Seifer to follow her to one of the rooms. While the three friends ran towards the backstage, the crowd in the auditorium began running outside, unaware that the gifted performer they had applauded only minutes ago was now nowhere to be seen.  
  
===============  
  
Ah, my first chapter is done. I hope you guys like the ideas I put in the story. Hope it's not too complicated or something. Read and review please. Next Chapter: Backstage. 


	2. Chapter 2: Backstage

Backstage  
  
Quistis and Seifer followed Selphie backstage, dodging the screaming crowd that panicked and pushed towards the exit. The death of the patrons had become the talk of the room, and in fear of being the next victim of this mysterious death, the people immediately fled, leaving the concert without so as much as a final applause. Meanwhile, while the audience was making a disorderly beeline towards the door, Quistis, Selphie, and Seifer had finally reached Rinoa's dressing room. And only inches before the door standing was Irvine Kinneas, the pianist who had entertained them earlier this evening.  
  
The auburn-haired pianist knocked gently on his friend's door. "Rinoa, can I come in? It's alright. The concert is over."  
  
When there was no answer from the other side, Seifer decided to barge in. "Allow me Mr. Kinas," he said while indicating the pianist to move aside.  
  
"Kinneas," Irvine corrected.  
  
Seifer knocked on the door just a bit louder this time to catch the artist's attention. "Miss Heartilly, we are just a group of nice people who want to talk to you. If it is convenient with you, will you allow us to come in?" he asked in a very nice tone.  
  
The group outside the dressing room waited for about half a minute before the received the answer, "Please open it, the door's unlocked."  
  
Seifer turned the knob, with Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine following. When they closed the door behind them, Quistis noticed that Rinoa was looking at the mirror as if she were in a trance. Her knuckles were white from clenching, and she had the appearance of someone who had just seen a ghost. On one side of the room, the Seduzione's case lay open with the scores she had just played that evening scattered in it. The instrument on the other hand was gingerly displayed in an airtight shelf.  
  
'Probably because they don't want the three hundred year old instrument to catch mold?' Quistis wondered as she observed her surroundings.  
  
"It happened again," came the silent remark from the genius violinist.  
  
It was Irvine who approached her this time. "What happened Rinoa? What happened again?"  
  
Still facing the mirror, she replied, "This has happened before, you know."  
  
Irvine put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. Her eyes were sunken and moist, with dark, puffy circles surrounding them. She had been crying. "What happened before? You should tell us Rinoa. It is better if you do that. We may be able to help you," he suggested as she just stood there, staring blankly at Irvine.  
  
After mustering enough courage to tell them what she had been intending to hide earlier, she finally said, "People—my patrons more specifically, have died before in three of my recent concerts. One was held in Berlin, the other in Osaka, and the most recent one in Rome. This isn't the first time someone died in my concert."  
  
Selphie took a step forward and asked while clasping her hands over her bosom, "You mean this happens all the time during your concerts? But why?"  
  
Rinoa finally snapped out of her strange trance and answered, "It doesn't happen all the time. The Seduction of the Violin tour started only recently, and so far I've held three concerts before the Carnegie Hall recital. Strangely enough, after I played the last few songs, patrons began having seizures or heart attacks. The funny thing is, although some of these men were healthy, the doctors who conducted the autopsy on their bodies suggested that they died of heart failure or stroke. I've known some of these men very well. They don't rough their bodies out. And then this happened. I don't even know if I should continue on with this tour."  
  
Seifer suggested, "Miss Rinoa, with all due respect, I don't think it would be advisable to stop this tour. People will only get the idea that the deaths had something to do with you. But perhaps you can delay the tour a bit, maybe postpone it to a latter date?"  
  
Rinoa smiled at Seifer and said, "Thank you kind sir, but I don't think it would do me good to postpone my tour. I mean I want to, but doing that would be a bit risky. People have already bought tickets for my next few concerts, and I'm flying to Los Angeles next week and to Toronto for my concerts here in North America. I can't just blow away these audiences."  
  
While everyone was spending some time talking with Rinoa, Quistis had taken the liberty of examining the Stradivarius Seduzione, the legendary violin that had the power to captivate even the most stubborn classical music hater. She then asked her favorite artist, "What if you used a different violin for your next few concerts?"  
  
"What?" Rinoa asked, apparently confused by the question.  
  
"I mean, my theory might seem odd, but if you think about it, the violin may be the cause of these deaths. Remember those articles in Ripley's Believe It or Not where some people die during stage performances and they found some object that was thought to be cursed? What if the violin is cursed? Replacing it might just be the solution," Quistis said.  
  
Rinoa pondered on her words and shook her head. "No, I can't do that either. Some big shot people come to my concerts to listen to my violin. If I so as much as use a different Strad, those people will know. And besides, this violin is...somewhat precious to me. It contains several memories that I cannot part with it," she said while she hung her head on her shoulder. Her eyes were starting to tear now, but she decided that it would not do her good to cry in front of people she barely knew.  
  
"Well what can we do?" Irvine asked as he slumped on the dressing room couch with Selphie. Seifer and Quistis soon followed and Rinoa was the only one left standing in the room.  
  
"I honestly don't know," said Rinoa blankly.  
  
A few minutes later, a knock came on the dressing room door.  
  
"Who is it?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Rinoa, may I come in?" asked an old, gentle voice.  
  
"Please do," she said as she opened the door for the Carnegie Hall manager and his wife. They had been avid supporters of her talent since the beginning, and Rinoa had grown to become good friends with them.  
  
"Mr. Kramer, so good to see you," said Rinoa as she shook his hand. "And Madame, you look lovely as always," she complemented the elegant woman dressed in black.  
  
"Why thank you Rinoa," said the woman called Edea.  
  
"Rinoa..." started Cid.  
  
"Sir, if it is about what happened earlier, can we rather not talk about it?" she politely asked.  
  
"Yes, I know but this is somewhat of a problem. You see, my dear, we have found someone who may be able to inspect your instrument thoroughly," he began again.  
  
Rinoa tilted her head on one side in confusion. "What Cid is trying to say is we might be able to help you," Edea silently added.  
  
"You can?" Rinoa asked, her eyes beaming.  
  
"Yes Rinoa. I just talked to your manager a few minutes ago and told him that it would be better for you to continue your tour after a three month hiatus. Let's just say that you've gotten sick in the public's eyes. We took care of the commotion a while ago, and told the press that you had collapsed on the floor and had given the patrons a heart attack," Cid told her.  
  
"You told them what?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Rinoa, calm down. A break will apparently give you some time to sort out any problems with your concerts. I also had the chance to contact a man who studies a variety of antique instruments like yours. If you will only be so cooperative as to take these..." he pulled out a plane ticket from his pocket and gave it to Rinoa. "You might be able to find the root of your problems."  
  
"Milan? Who am I going to look for in Milan?" she asked the pudgy old man.  
  
"Ah! I almost forgot! Here is the calling card of the person whom I've set you up with. His name his Professor Loire and he is based in one of the old universities of music in Cremona. I'm sorry dear, but it's not going to be a shopping spree in Milan. Anyway, this man has studied antique and so called possessed instruments before and might just have the answer to what has been causing all these deaths," Cid told her as he flicked the calling card from his pocket and handed it over to Rinoa.  
  
"Uh, Mr. Kramer, I just have one problem. I don't speak Italian," she told Carnegie Hall's manager.  
  
"Oh don't even worry about it! Professor Loire has lived here in the United States before so he should be well versed in English," he said with a hearty laugh.  
  
"Dear Rinoa, you must find this man. He may not be well known, but I do know for a fact that he has helped several people in the past," said Edea as she put one hand on Rinoa's right shoulder. "Listen to me dear. If there is one man who can lift curses from ancient instruments, this man can do it. I don't want to see you get blacklisted by the press just because of a Stradivarius."  
  
Rinoa nodded and Cid said, "Well Rinoa, I wish you luck on your trip. I'm getting old so I hope you don't mind if I retire for bed. By the way, you will find a man called Zell Dincht waiting for you in the airport. He is Professor Loire's butler...sort of."  
  
Rinoa nodded again and asked, "Uh sir, can Irvine come with me to Cremona? I think I need someone to accompany me there."  
  
Cid clapped his hand on his forehead and said, "Oh I almost forgot! Mr. Kinneas, I have your ticket here with me. Goodness knows all this commotion can get into an old man's head." He slowly walked to the pianist and gave him his ticket.  
  
"Would your friends like to come as well?" the chubby manager asked Rinoa.  
  
"Ah, we'll just pay for our own tickets. My father works in the Italian embassy so that will be a breeze for us," Seifer said. "But thank you anyway sir for your offer."  
  
"Alright then, all of you have a good evening," he wished them as he stepped out of the room with his wife.  
  
"You too sir!" Rinoa called out.  
  
"Wow! We're going to Italy!" Selphie beamed. "I heard that the Gucci's, Ferragamo's and Prada's there are cheap!"  
  
Irvine put an arm around her and said, "Hey, don't get your hopes up. This is an exorcism thing remember?"  
  
"Aw Irvine you're no fun! So Seifer, can you get us the tickets?" she whirled over to the blonde who had his hand on Quistis' lap.  
  
"Sure. What time is the flight tomorrow Miss Heartilly?" he asked.  
  
Rinoa looked at her ticket and replied, "The plane's leaving at 6:30 tomorrow evening. And please call me Rinoa. As long as we're in this room, I am your friend and not some Prima Donna, kay?"  
  
Seifer chuckled and said, "Okay Rinoa. So do you want us to come?"  
  
Rinoa beamed and answered, "Oh please do come! I need someone to come with me. I mean I don't know the place very well."  
  
Selphie and Quistis stood up and said in unison, "That settles it then! We're going to Italy!" 


	3. Chapter 3: Il Sonata di Sogno

Il Sonata di Sogno  
  
Another sunrise, and another sunset draws the day to an end as the hustle bustle of the streets of Manhattan crowded with cars of all shapes and sizes. All over this city of the world, shops were closing, offices were dimming, and restaurants had begun to fill with residents, tourists, and businessmen who needed a bite after an exhausting day in the city. The Met and Carnegie, New York's most renowned houses of classical music, had lit up their spotlights to feature the performance of the night. Tonight, however, the talent of virtuoso violinist Rinoa Heartilly wasn't going to dazzle the New York audience. Far away in the horizon, a black limousine was driving towards the John F. Kennedy airport.  
  
"So what's the name of the guy picking us up?" asked Selphie as Rinoa gingerly placed her violin case on her lap.  
  
Rinoa removed a card from her breast pocket and said, "The guy's name is Zell Dincht and he is supposed to look like this." She handed the card to Selphie.  
  
"Boy, this guy sure looks like a punk," she uttered as she looked at the picture attached to the cardboard. "Doesn't look like a professor's aid, does he?"  
  
"He sure doesn't..." Rinoa sighed as she gazed at the orange glow of Manhattan's sunset.  
  
"What's wrong Rinoa?" Irvine asked the violinist. "I thought you wanted to fix whatever might have caused those deaths."  
  
Rinoa looked at her friend and said, "I do, but I still feel somewhat responsible for those deaths. Somehow, I think there's more to this violin than a curse." She tapped the case of her instrument lightly with her fingers and continued, "Antonio Stradivari would never have created an evil instrument. Other performers who own these violins don't have patrons dying in their concerts. Why would they do in mine?"  
  
Quistis' blonde head emerged from the back and rested between the two headrests on front. "Like you said, maybe there's more to that violin than a curse. And that's why we're going to Italy to see Dr. Loire," she told Rinoa.  
  
Seifer leaned forward and asked Rinoa, "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking but, how much is that thing?"  
  
Rinoa turned to the tall blonde and answered, "The Seduzione? Being called the finest of the Stradivaris, even much better than the legendary "Dolphin", I believe this one costs about seventy-five million dollars in the market."  
  
Seifer's jaw dropped and Rinoa giggled and continued, "Honestly, if it weren't for the deep, rich resonating quality and well-preserved state of this old thing, I don't think it would cost that much."  
  
Seifer clapped a hand to his forehead and whistled lightly. "That...is...a lot of money! You can buy a mansion with that violin, did you realize that?"  
  
Rinoa laughed and rested her head on her headrest, "You can't compare a Stradivarius with a gorgeous house. It's so much more beautiful than that."  
  
Irvine straightened in his seat and said, "I've been wondering...is that violin really cursed? I mean we only speculated that it was because of some past performances but this never really happened before right?"  
  
Rinoa nodded and he continued, "What if they just died by chance, you know, the patrons."  
  
Selphie shrugged and said, "It's a theory, but I think I like the curse thing more. It's more believable than having all patrons die in three successive concerts."  
  
Rinoa looked down at her instrument and said, "I hope Irvine's theory is correct. This violin can't be cursed. I...I just don't think it can."  
  
Selphie inched towards Rinoa and asked, "But why Rinoa?"  
  
Rinoa looked at the setting sun and said, "I...I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
Selphie nodded and looked towards the front. "Are we there yet Raijin?"  
  
The chauffer turned back to the group and said, "Well ya know Miss Selphie, the airport's just about five minutes from where we are. So ya just sit back and relax, ya know."  
  
Selphie gave him a two thumbs up and said, "Yeah! Got ya!"  
  
Five minutes later, the black limousine arrived in the main terminal of JFK. The group to Milan began unloading their bags one by one and placed them in a trolley.  
  
"So we're taking the Alitalia 6:30 flight. We're heading for that door over there," Seifer said as he pointed to the entrance indicated for Alitalia passengers. "Everyone give me their passports and I'll just check all of you and your baggage in."  
  
"Why thank you Seifer," Rinoa smiled at him as she handed him her passport and other travel documents.  
  
Seifer bowed graciously at Rinoa and smirked at her. Taking the passports from the others, he brought them along with their baggage to the counter and returned later with their boarding passes. It was Selphie who got hers first.  
  
"Wow! We're taking First Class! Awesome!" she exclaimed as she received her pass from Seifer.  
  
"Okay, let's go," Seifer said as he swung his duffel bag on his shoulder. Taking Quistis by the arm, they walked towards the waiting area.  
  
Irvine saw Selphie and took her hand as well. Together, they made a dash towards Quistis' and Seifer's direction.  
  
Rinoa just laughed to herself and thought, 'Gosh, some of them are lucky to find someone. I wonder if I will ever find a guy who would love me." She sighed and soon caught up with the rest of the group.  
  
"We're boarding in about thirty minutes so I'll just sit here," said Rinoa as she sat in the waiting benches with her violin case on her lap.  
  
Irvine looked around and said, "I'll stay here with Rinoa. I don't think it is safe for someone to hold a fortune like that Strad all alone in this airport." He sat down beside the violinist and began chatting with her about their postponed North American tour.  
  
Quistis held on to Seifer and said, "Do you want to go check out the boutiques?"  
  
Seifer winked at her and said, "Sure. Let's go and get you some perfume."  
  
Quistis scoffed at him and said, "Seifer Almasy, are you telling me that I smell bad?"  
  
Seifer laughed and said, "No, but I sure want to get turned on by some good- smelling chick like you."  
  
Quistis poked his ribs and said, "Naughty! I'll whip you all over if I only knew how to!"  
  
"Yeah right!" retorted Seifer with a smirk. "And I'll lash at you with some gun-sword crossbreed if there was really such a thing!"  
  
They both laughed and walked to the boutique. Quistis found something that she rather liked and she started nagging Seifer to come along with her to the perfume shop (despite her protests earlier).  
  
"Seifer, look at that! It's the latest fragrance from Chanel," she said while pointing to a gorgeous bottle. She took the tester and sprayed a mist of the scenty liquid on her neck. She turned to Seifer and fluttered her eyes seductively. "Like what you're smelling?"  
  
Seifer took a whiff of the stuff and said, "Hmm...they haven't released this one here yet, have they?"  
  
Quistis glanced at the bottle and said, "Well, I heard that this one was a Japan exclusive fragrance so I guess only airports carry them. Buy me one?"  
  
Seifer looked at the price and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, no problem." He brought one unopened box to the counter and presented it to the clerk. After paying, he took the plastic bag from the lady and returned to the waiting area with Quistis.  
  
"We're boarding in about five minutes so get your boarding passes out," Seifer told them as he gave Quistis her bag of perfume, taking both of their passes out of his pocket. The others did the same and sat through the remaining minutes of waiting before the airport personnel announced that it was finally time to board the plane.  
  
After the group had entered the large 747, an attendant assisted them to their seats. Placing their handcarry baggage on the overhead compartments, they all slumped to their seats and exhaled roughly.  
  
"Finally!" Selphie said as she stretched out on her seat. "Can get some rest!" After taking whatever he needed out of his backpack, Irvine sat beside Selphie and drew the day's newspaper out of the seat pocket in front.  
  
"What's that?" Selphie asked as she turned on her side to face Irvine.  
  
Irvine showed her the newspaper and said, "Look." Selphie took the sheet of the New York Times and began reading. The headlines read, 'Large Earthquake in Athens Levels Town in Northern Greece.'  
  
"Oh Irvy, this is terrible," Selphie said as she continued further. "What baffles most seismologists about this earthquake is that no seismic activity hinted them of this disaster."  
  
Irvy put an arm around Selphie and said, "Well, at least we weren't in Greece when that happened, eh Seff?"  
  
Selphie put the newspaper down and cuddled beside Irvine. "You know, dying together in an earthquake would be absolutely romantic. Imagine that last kiss we share before the town goes completely under. So romantic!"  
  
Irvine kissed her forehead and said, "And I'm supposed to agree? I want to live long enough to have children and all." Selphie threw him a faked angry look. "But dying in an earthquake does sound tempting," he quickly added for laughs.  
  
Selphie giggled and rested her head on Irvine's chest. "Um, if we get back home, will you play me a song?" she asked the musician.  
  
"Anything for you love," Irvine replied.  
  
Suddenly Seifer came up to them and said, "Hey lovebirds, better put on your seatbelts before those flight attendants start barking at you in Italian!" He patted Irvine's shoulder and returned to his seat beside Quistis.  
  
Irvine and Selphie quickly put on their seatbelts and the pianist turned to the violinist on the seat across the aisle. "Rinoa, are you okay there?"  
  
Rinoa smiled lightly and said, "Yup! As fine as I ever could be!" She put on her seatbelt and rested her head on the comfy, first-class headrest. In a few minutes, her eyelids began drooping.  
  
'Feeling so sleepy...maybe I'd better get some rest,' she reminded herself. She shut her eyes and dozed off.  
  
A few minutes later, when her eyes opened, they were already in the air. She saw her friends on one side and more people on the other. A flight attendant soon approached her and politely asked, "Madame, can I get you some refreshments? You were sleeping a while ago and I believe you missed the dinner. But don't worry, I still have a spare meal in the cabinet."  
  
Rinoa rubbed her eyes and asked, "Um, what do you have to offer?"  
  
The flight attendant handed her the menu and said, "We have a choice of grilled chicken breast or veal Milanese."  
  
After a few minutes of deciding time, she chose the veal, and the attendant soon set the meal down on her table. "Would you care for some tea, coffee, juice, or liqueur?" the attendant politely addressed her.  
  
"I'll have some orange juice please," Rinoa said with a smile. The attendant soon came back with a glass of sweet orange juice and bid her a good flight. As Rinoa ate her food, she noticed something rather peculiar on the corner of her eye. A few rows in front, a handsome, young man with his hair tied back in a short ponytail suddenly stood up, staring at her as he walked to the toilets.  
  
'I know that man...he looks very familiar...where have I seen him before?' she wondered as she turned to look at the bathroom aisle. The man had probably gone inside, so she decided to take a better look the next time around. However, another man stood up, this time stopping right beside her.  
  
"Rinoa Heartilly...so glad to see you here. Are you enjoying our little flight?" the man asked. He was deathly pale, and his touch felt cold.  
  
"Of course sir. But may I ask who are you?" she asked the strange man.  
  
"Why Rinoa, you don't recognize me? It's sad, very sad..." he sighed as he pulled out his glasses from his pocket and put them on. "Do I look familiar now?" he asked her once more.  
  
Rinoa gasped and pointed at him. "You! You can't be! No! You're supposed to be dead! You're one of the patrons who died last night!" She began quivering in her seat.  
  
"And so are we..." a group of men said in unison as they stood up and began closing in on her.  
  
The flight attendant came back with dessert and gasped when she saw Rinoa shaking in her seat. "Madame! Are you alright?" She cleared the path to Rinoa's seat and gave her the dessert.  
  
"Are you alright Madame?" she asked the trembling violinist.  
  
"I...I...I'm alright," she said as she received a cake from the woman. "Thank you. This cake is wonderful!"  
  
"Oh Madame, this cake would be nothing compared to what..." her voice immediately darkened. "...you did last night." The stewardess' eyes began turning yellow with dark slits in the middle for pupils and she continued. "I know your secret..." she whispered darkly and huskily.  
  
When Rinoa turned to find what looked like and evil corpse staring at her, she screamed and immediately found everyone, her friends including, looking at her.  
  
"Rinoa, is something the matter?" Irvine asked her.  
  
She was shaking uncontrollably, but soon found the time to exhale and relax. "No, I just had a dream. Please don't worry about me."  
  
Irvine returned to his seat. A few minutes had passed since they had taken off from JFK, and the seatbelt sign had been turned off. "Alright, but if you need help with anything, just call, okay?"  
  
Rinoa nodded and slumped back to her chair.  
  
'It was just a dream wasn't it? But it seemed too real to be just a dream.' Rinoa slid the window cover open and looked at the night sky. 'Maybe I should stop worrying...but who was that man?' 


	4. Chapter 4: Ciao Italia!

Ciao Italia!  
  
A fusion of the old and the new, the old world architecture of Italy was a magnificent sight to visitors and locals alike. With its innumerous well- preserved churches and marvelous edifices of stone and marble, it truly was amazing to see that something so archaic can still retain its beauty. On one side, sixteenth century flavor was eminent amongst the limestone and granite, while on the other the steel and glass structures graced the azure skies. In the middle of it all was the Leonardo da Vinci airport of Milan, and just approximately a thousand meters above the skies of Italy, a plane was beginning to descend on the facility's airstrips. As it approached the land of pasta and pizza, the plane unfurled its wheels, readying itself for a rather rough landing. Gaining speed by the moment, the plane finally touched the ground, and after a few moments of scouring the vast runway, it connected its doors with one of the airport's terminals.  
  
"Ah! We're finally here!" Selphie said as she stretched her arms and got up. "My goodness my legs are soooo numb!" She helped offered Irvine a hand and helped him up from his chair. "Wakey, wakey sleepy! We're in Italy!" she said in a singsong voice  
  
Irvine ruffled Selphie's hair and approached Rinoa silently. Poking her in the arms, he said, "Rinoa, get up. We're in Milan."  
  
Rinoa's eyes blinked several times before they opened and she mumbled, "Hmmm? We're here already?"  
  
Selphie and Irvine nodded. "Alright," she said as she tried to get up. "Uh, Irvine, can you get my violin from the compartments?" Irvine opened the overhead compartments and carefully placed the violin on Rinoa's lap. After opening the case, she looked over the contents of the instrument and gave him a thumbs-up. "Everything's great! So far so good."  
  
Quistis and Seifer were already near the vehicle's exit. "Irvine, Rinoa, Selphie! You guys should hurry up so that we won't have to line up at the immigration counters!" Seifer called out as he made a dash out of the plane.  
  
Quistis followed him but came back to the plane a few seconds later. "Uh guys, did you see a scarf anywhere?" she asked them. "It's patterned after a leopard's coat and I think I dropped it somewhere."  
  
Rinoa walked towards the exit and looked under each chair on the way out. "Is that it?" she asked when she pointed under the flight attendant seat.  
  
Quistis looked to the direction where Rinoa was pointing and exclaimed. "Yup! That's it!" She flung the scarf over her neck and said, "Thanks Ms. Heartilly!"  
  
Rinoa chuckled and said, "Don't mention it. And it's Rinoa, remember."  
  
Quistis smiled and said, "Oh yeah. Um, Seifer's lining up for us so I guess we should hurry up."  
  
They all followed her to the immigration counters where an impatient Seifer whose arms were crossed was tapping his foot on the floor. "Well that took you guys long enough," he said.  
  
"Sorry!" Rinoa said as she gasped for air. "I had to check on my violin. Can't leave something that costs that much in there."  
  
"Oh right! Gee I must have forgotten about that," Seifer sheepishly said.  
  
Quistis tapped Seifer's shoulder and said, "Hey Seifer, we're next." Seifer turned around and presented their passports to the immigration officer, and after a while, the officer gave them permission to enter.  
  
"Woo! I thought he wasn't going to let us in!" Selphie exclaimed as Seifer gave her back her passport. "That took so long!"  
  
Seifer coughed and said, "Ahem! There are five of us traveling. Isn't that supposed to take a long time?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I never thought about that," Selphie said. "So what are we supposed to do next?"  
  
Seifer pointed to the carts and said, "We're getting our luggage. I'll get one of the carts over there. Irvine, you get one too."  
  
Seifer and Irvine pulled out two luggage carts and brought it back to the girls. "Our luggage is coming out of ramp number five. You girls haul these over there while Irvine and I will watch for the bags, kay?"  
  
The girls nodded and followed Seifer and Irvine to the baggage ramp. A few minutes later, they came out of the airport with all their luggage on both carts. As Rinoa searched the area for their service, a short blonde suddenly approached the group.  
  
"Ciao! Welcome to Italy!" he energetically said. "Can I help you with your luggage sirs and madams?" he told them in fluent English.  
  
Quistis shook her hand and said, "No thank you sir. We're waiting for a man to come and fetch us here so I hope you don't mind looking for other customers."  
  
The blonde just laughed, much to Quistis' surprise, and said, "I know. By the way, my name is Zell Dincht and I'll be your service to Dr. Loire's residence." He offered Rinoa a hand and she gladly shook it.  
  
"Oh! So you are Zell Dincht! Well I am so sorry for the misunderstanding!" Quistis said while blushing pink, red, and maroon.  
  
"No problem!" Zell said as he tipped his chauffeur's hat. "So if you will just let me put your bags in the back of the car, we'll be on our way."  
  
"But where's the car?" Irvine asked the blonde driver.  
  
"Uh, you see that white limo over there? That's our car!" he informed Irvine as he pushed one of the carts towards the vehicle.  
  
"Wow! Dr. Loire must be rich!" Irvine said as he linked his arms with Selphie's and walked to the car.  
  
Seifer pushed the other cart to the car and began unloading the baggage inside the hood. "Can I help you with that Rinoa?" he asked her.  
  
Rinoa looked down at her violin case and said, "Thank you Seifer but I'd prefer if this stayed with me."  
  
"Okay," Seifer replied. "So where is Dr. Loire's house Zell?"  
  
"Well sir, his house is located in Cremona. It's a three hour drive from here to Dr. Loire's place so you guys just sit back and relax okay?"  
  
They all entered the limousine and Zell started the car. He began driving and decided to get to know them a bit better. "So once again, welcome to Italy! I'll introduce myself formally this time. My name is Zell Dincht, and I work as second assistant to the good doctor. We're now at the region of Lombardia, otherwise known in English as Lombardy. Cremona is a two hour drive from Milan, so I guess this trip will be taking us a bit longer than the usual train rides taken by most visitors. Although the ride will take this long, you may take the time to enjoy the scenery outside. You will notice that Italy's countryside is much more interesting than America. Not that I'm biased against the U.S. of A. for that matter, but if you look around, you will notice a lot of old century buildings lining the area." They were outside the city of Milan now, so more and more of the country was visible outside the car windows.  
  
"So, Dr. Loire told me that Ms. Heartilly is coming to see him. By the way Ms. Heartilly, I am a BIG fan of your music. I just love your virtuosity and your technique! And the emotion you just pour into your music. So perfect!" he exclaimed as they entered a tunnel.  
  
"Thanks," Rinoa plainly said. "Um, you were saying that this is a two hour drive? Why did you tell us that it would take three hours earlier?"  
  
"Oh that!" he said while still looking at the road. "Dr. Loire asked me to take you guys to one of the fine dining restaurants in Cremona. I've got to say, the food there is EXCELLENTE!"  
  
"How nice of Dr. Loire," Quistis said. "But isn't it late for lunch?" she asked Zell as she looked at her watch.  
  
Zell looked back from his position and said, "Ma'am, in this country on Sundays, people can eat lunch until four in the afternoon. And since today is a Sunday, well, you get the point."  
  
"Ah...that's an interesting eating habit," Quistis said as she fumbled her bag for some lipstick. "So what kind of food are they serving in that restaurant?" she asked the punky blonde.  
  
"Well, they have the most heavenly pastas in all of Italy, with some wood- fired pizzas and great Italian main courses like Osso Buco to add to that. And their tiramisu is fab!" he informed her.  
  
"Mmmm! Tiramisu! I'm looking forward to that," said Quistis as she looked at herself in her cosmetic mirror while applying some lipstick. "What's this place called?"  
  
Zell puffed his chest and proudly said, "It's the La Trattoria del Forno! My parents own the restaurant."  
  
Selphie leaned forward and put both her hands on Zell's headrest. "Your parents are chefs and you work with a brilliant professor of music? But why didn't you pursue a cooking career?"  
  
Zell, keeping his eyes on the road, sighed and replied, "I just thought I didn't want to spend the rest of my life chopping onions or making sauce. Selfish of me don't you think? But then, I've always wanted to try something new—like studying art, even if that art pertains to music."  
  
When Quistis put her makeup kit back into her purse, she told Zell, "It's not selfish at all. I guess your parents are very much proud of you for trying out this new career of yours. It never hurts to try anything new right? And besides, if you provide for your family with this art career, it doesn't become selfish of you at all."  
  
They came to a stop and Zell turned around. "You really think so?"  
  
Quistis nodded and said, "I don' think...I know so."  
  
Zell smiled and started driving again when the traffic light turned green. After hours of passing by a few town, cities, and a whole bunch of plains and grassy hillsides, they finally arrived at the Northern Italian town of Cremona.  
  
"Wow! This place looks really beautiful!" Rinoa blurted out as the car passed by the streets. "I've never seen any place so old yet still so...so...well preserved."  
  
"I know!" Quistis exclaimed as they passed by an old church. The entire group would just point at this building or at that statue with "oohs" and "aahs". Soon enough, they arrived at a quaint little restaurant hidden behind one of Cremona's wonderful churches. In front of the building was a garden with rose trellises all over the place, while the interior of the restaurant was decorated Old world style. It was half empty now, as it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, but they could pretty much hear the chitter chatter and the clinking of utensils from the inside.  
  
"So this is the place. It looks beautiful! Are we dining al fresco?" Quistis asked Zell.  
  
"Well, if you want al fresco, we can get you one of the tables out here in the garden. Just wait here," Zell told them as he ran inside.  
  
Seifer chose one of the larger tables and asked everyone to take a seat. A few minutes later, Zell came out with a woman whom they assumed to be his mother.  
  
"Hey guys, I want you to meet my mother, Ma Dincht," he told them as the woman approached the table.  
  
"Nice to meet ya all young people!" she said with a Southwestern accent. "So Zell here tells me that a really famous violinist is dining here today."  
  
Rinoa waved shyly at her and Ma Dincht warmly shook her hand and said, "Well, it's really wonderful to have you all here. Say, you know, although I love violin concertos and all, I am an even bigger fan of singers. You resemble someone I used to listen to..."  
  
Rinoa looked like she had just been hit by a truck and said, "Uh, maybe a lot of people look like me?"  
  
Ma Dincht shook her head and said, "Perhaps, but you are a striking resemblance of this wonderful singer. Oh well, maybe I'm just imagining things."  
  
Quistis asked Ma Dincht, "Oh Mrs. Dincht, I'd just like to know but where did you get that southern accent? And you speak perfect English too. Are you from the U.S.?  
  
Ma Dincht smiled and said, "Why, yes we are. We moved here from Texas about five years ago. Ever since then, Italy's been treating us real nice. Now, let's get settled down before you all get hungry. I know you've been sitting in that crampy plane and that limo for hours without a bite. Pietro! E venito qui e portarloro dell'acqua minerale! (Come here and bring them some mineral water)" She turned to them and said, "The tap water in Italy is nasty so you'd better stick to the mineral stuff. Although they have all these lovely buildings and all, they don't have our wonderful American water. And if you need anything else to drink, like juice or some soft drinks or even some alcohol, you all just tell Pietro here okay?" She returned to the kitchen and a tall Italian man in his forties came out with bottles of water and a few menus for them.  
  
"So you are the violinist Rinoa Heartilly eh?" he asked in a very strong Italian accent as he set down the bottles of water on the table. "My wife loves your music. It is so beautiful how you play Signore Stradivari's magnificent violins."  
  
"Thank you sir," she told him humbly.  
  
"No! No! Madame, it is nothing to thank me about. You have pure talent and you should know it," he said as he placed the last bottle on the table. "So tell me, what do you want to eat?"  
  
They all looked at the menu and Seifer began, "Zell tells me that you have excellent Osso Buco here. I'll have that one."  
  
"Ah! The Osso Buco! Excellent choice signore," he said as he wrote down Seifer's order on a slip of paper.  
  
"What about this spinach ravioli? I'm a big fan of ravioli!" Selphie exclaimed. "One for me too," Irvine added.  
  
"So two raviolis for the two lovers," he noted as he jotted two raviolis on the paper. Irvine and Selphie blushed heavily.  
  
"Um, is the Veal Milanese good here?" Rinoa asked Pietro.  
  
"Miss Rinoa, all of Mrs. Dincht's creations are masterpieces just like your violin. All of them are good," he told her with a smile.  
  
"So, which is better, the seafood pasta or the veal Milanese?" she asked the waiter.  
  
"Hmmm...I think you'll enjoy of our seafood pasta more," he told her.  
  
"Okay! I'll have that!" Rinoa beamed at him.  
  
After glancing at the menu Quistis said, "I'm having the Pizza Margherita."  
  
Pietro wrote that last order down and asked Zell, "Zell, che lei vuole mangiare (what do you want to eat)?"  
  
Zell looked at the menu and said in very rapid Italian, "I'll have the seared sea bass."  
  
Pietro nodded and went back to the kitchen. They talked for a while until Pietro came back with their orders. After giving each one their dishes he wished them all a good meal and went back inside.  
  
"Oh gosh this pizza is sooooo good! I've had great Margheritas in New York but this just blows those pizzas out of the water," Quistis said as she took a bite of the pizza.  
  
"Quisty, try this Osso Buco! It's fabulous!" Seifer said as he put a piece of veal into her mouth.  
  
"Wow! Zell your parents are such great chefs!" she said.  
  
"Thanks!" Zell said.  
  
"Zell these pastas are great!" Rinoa told the blonde punk sitting from across the table. "Can you cook this well too?"  
  
"Well, I can do just a bit of cooking but not much. Just some omelets actually," he sheepishly said as he took a bite of his fish.  
  
After they finished their meal, Ma Dincht bid them goodbye as they drove to Dr. Loire's estate. Ten minutes passed, and they were at the gates of an opulent mansion whose gates were graced by marble angels. After Zell spoke to a small speaker in Italian, the gates opened and he continued driving.  
  
"Wow! Dr. Loire's estate is huge!" Selphie said as she looked at the beautiful hills and lakes that their vehicle passed by on the way to a large mansion in the middle of it all.  
  
Irvine looked at the Garden leaf sculptures and stone statues neatly placed around the area. "This Garden reminds me of a painting...very much like one hanging around in Carnegie Hall's main hall. Isn't that..."  
  
"Vividarium?" Seifer interrupted. "Yeah it is. I heard that the garden in that painting was patterned after this one. Looks gorgeous in oils, but I never knew it would look this beautiful in real life."  
  
"Wow! I never imagined that I would actually see the real thing!" Irvine said as he gazed into the beautiful garden maze made from carefully trimmed bushes.  
  
Quistis then turned their attention to a large house on the hill. "Look! It's Dr. Loire's mansion! Isn't it gorgeous?"  
  
Rinoa was all the while enjoying the view of the garden. Never did anything look so peaceful—so tranquil. "It's beautiful..."  
  
The ride to doctor Loire's house took them about five minutes. When they finally got there, a long-haired man with a slender, brunette girl greeted them.  
  
"Hi!" he warmly said. "You must be Rinoa Heartilly! I'm Laguna Loire and I'd like to welcome you to my estate." He offered Rinoa his hand.  
  
Rinoa walked towards Laguna and returned the gesture. "Pleased to meet you Dr. Loire."  
  
"Oh, this is my daughter Ellone. She's a really big fan of yours," he told Rinoa.  
  
Ellone shyly took the violinist's hand and said, "It is a pleasure to meet such a great musician like you, Miss Heartilly."  
  
"Oh please, call me Rinoa," she said as she gave the other girl a warm smile before turning back to Laguna. "So Dr. Loire..."  
  
"Please call me Laguna. I don't like the Doctor gig. I feel so old when people call me that," he said with a laugh.  
  
"Okay...Laguna, um do you think you can inspect my Stradivarius? I mean, you are trained to check out cursed relics right?" she asked the professor.  
  
"Well, I have had the opportunity to work with instruments like these before. But I don't think we'll be able to check out curses out here in the open eh?" he told them. "Why don't you come inside and I'll ask my butler to bring all your luggage in. Zell, please prepare my lab instruments."  
  
"Yes sir!" he ecstatically said as he ran inside the house.  
  
"That is one active boy," Laguna chuckled. "Alright, Sophia will show you to your rooms. I hope you enjoy your stay here."  
  
Seifer looked around the mansion with his mouth wide open, "We sure will."  
  
"Rinoa, if you will please follow me to my lab," he told her. As the others were led to their rooms, Rinoa followed Dr. Loire across a hallway filled with paintings made by great artists such as Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, and Van Gogh. Her eyes would follow the magnificent works of art and she stopped when she saw a portrait of Laguna, Ellone, and another young man.  
  
"Dr. Loire, who is that?" she asked him, staring at the man in the painting. She immediately felt her heart pounding and secretly hoped that he wouldn't say that he was ...  
  
"That is my son," he said as he stopped by a door. "His name is Squall but he isn't here right now. He works as one of the managers in the Teatro alla Scala in Milan but he comes back every night to the house. Why are you breathing like that? You like him don't you?" he smirked at the young violinist.  
  
She blushed red, redder, and reddest and replied, "W-w-w-well, I don't know! But I guess I thought you might say that he was Ellone's husband. I don't know! Can't I breath like this? It's a free world!"  
  
Laguna laughed and said, "Whatever. Follow me."  
  
Rinoa nodded, still looking at the man and decided to follow Dr. Loire. She was amazed at her find in the next hallway. Rather than finding another gallery of paintings here, a bunch of violins so carefully placed in airtight display cases were displayed all over the halls. "Wow! This is...these are some of the legendary Stradivaris! And Amatis! And the others are Guarnieris! And here's a really antique French violin! Where did you get all these violins Sir Laguna?"  
  
"You can say that I'm a collector of these things," he nonchalantly told her.  
  
'I wonder where he got that money,' Rinoa wondered while drooling at the beautiful antique instruments.  
  
After a long walk across a vast gallery of rare instruments, Rinoa finally entered a lab and set her violin down on the table. "Wow! This is amazing! You actually reproduce violins here?"  
  
Laguna walked over to a table where a cloth lay on a violin that seemed to be brand new. "You can say that. I only make custom violins though, so these things won't come out on the market. Want to try it out?" He handed the violin to Rinoa and she began playing it. After she played a few notes, she inhaled deeply in satisfaction and said, "This is a wonderful violin! You can even mistake the sound for antique! So this is new?"  
  
Laguna nodded and answered, "Well, since I have all these violins to compare with, I usually analyze the sound of each instrument with a special device so that I can reproduce the effect in a newer violin. I'll show you some of my 20th century reproductions here."  
  
Laguna walked towards a door and opened it, finding Zell inside arranging some of the latest violins. Rinoa followed him and said, "Wow! This is your work? It's marvelous!"  
  
Zell waved at her and said, "Hi Miss Heartilly! Glad you like Dr. Loire's violins. You should try them out. They sound like antiques!" He returned his attention to one of the violins he was carefully placing in the shelves.  
  
Laguna took a violin from one of the shelves and gave it to Rinoa. "These violins are usually sold to music houses and young musical enthusiasts all over the world. Some young artists need great violins today and the only way you can achieve that without having to provide them with the horrendously pricey antiques is to replicate the models of the better, older ones. You want to try this out? This is one of my best."  
  
Rinoa gladly took the violin and began playing octaves on it. "Mmmm...this sounds like heaven. If I should say Sir Laguna, this sounds superior to most Guarnieris and even better than a few Stradivaris," she complemented him.  
  
Laguna laughed and put the violin back on the shelves. "The bad ones that is."  
  
Rinoa laughed at his joke and asked, "So how much does one cost?"  
  
Laguna blatantly said, "About a hundred grand, more or less."  
  
Rinoa's mouth dropped and she stammered, "A h-h-hundred grand? Isn't that a bit too pricey for a new violin?"  
  
Laguna replied, "Well if you think about it, a violin that sounds better than some Strads should cost much. I'd put it up at an even higher market price if only it were antique."  
  
"Wow! A hundred grand. Well, you're the maker, so I guess you have the say on these instruments'prices. Anyhow, can we get back to my Strad?" Rinoa asked him.  
  
He pushed back the stray bang over his ear and said, "Sure. Now if you will just tell me which one of the instruments this is."  
  
Rinoa opened the case and said, "This is the Cremona 1715 Seduzione." She gave the violin to Laguna and he began looking at the instrument in a very scientific way.  
  
"Interesting...very interesting. Ah, Rinoa, would it be alright if you left this here for the time being? I'm going to have to work on this alone." A look of shock displayed on Rinoa's face and Laguna chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't disassemble your Strad if that's what you're thinking."  
  
Rinoa fanned herself with her hands and said, "Oh! I thought you were going to do that."  
  
Laguna laughed and said, "Nonsense! I never do that to these priceless instruments. Oh, and if you need something to practice on, you can use one of the Strads in the gallery." He fished out a key from his pocket and accompanied Rinoa to the hallway of instruments.  
  
"You're serious right?" Rinoa skeptically asked him. "These are your antiques."  
  
Laguna replied, "I am a doctor. I'm supposed to be serious. So which one do you want?"  
  
Rinoa was at a loss for words. Some of the most wonderful Strads were on display in this house, and she couldn't help but gaze at them longingly. They were so perfect—the instruments crafted by God's most talented artisans. The accuracy and precision taken into creating such wonders could only have been lent by the Lord's most keen ear, and it was no doubt that these were the pinnacle of the violinist's art—the perfection, the beauty, and the quality.  
  
"Ah, will you choose one for me?" she asked him sheepishly.  
  
"What kind of sound do you like?" Laguna asked her.  
  
"Um, I like deep, rich, and resonant," she answered.  
  
"Then I have just the thing for you," he said as he pushed a few buttons in a computer located in the middle of the hallway. On the other side of the gallery, a blue light was blinking constantly, signaling Rinoa and Laguna to go to that section of the room. Near the blinking blue light was a little circle with green light spiraling down to a red spot. When the green finally reached the red, a slot opened where a key ought to be inserted.  
  
"You gotta keep this under lock and key. These are too valuable to be left out in the open," he said as he inserted a high-tech looking key into the slot. After it registered okay, the violin inside descended from the display case into another cubicle below the glass. "This is the Cremona 1718 "Oceano". People called it so because they say that it has one of the most wonderful resonating qualities ever, much like the ocean. And if you listen to it, it has one of the deepest, richest sounds you'll ever hear from a string instrument. And here's the bow that accompanies it," Laguna informed her as he gave her the precious violin with the bow.  
  
Rinoa gave it a swing of the bow and she shuddered from the very first note. "This is magnificent. Thank you Sir Laguna!"  
  
Laguna laughed and said, "Don't mention it. Now I have to work on your violin okay? So you just ask Sophia to bring you to your room."  
  
Rinoa nodded and exited the hallway, finding a pudgy lady waiting for her. "Miss Rinoa, if you will please come with me to your room."  
  
Sophia led her across the house until they reached a beautiful bedroom adorned with paintings, statuettes, and Italian glass mirrors of all sorts. "Is everything in this house beautiful?" she asked Sophia.  
  
"Why yes madame, if you think so," she said as she shut the door behind her. "Enjoy your stay please and feel free to contact me."  
  
Rinoa smiled and said, "Alright!" She set the violin carefully on the table and fell on the bed. "Wow! This house is spectacular." She rested for a few minutes and her thoughts began drifting back to the handsome man in the portrait. "That guy sure is cute. Wonder if he's already taken," she said to herself as she stared at the ceiling.  
  
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Wah! Long chapter alert! I hope this chapter's still keeping you awake. If you do like it, will you please add a review? Thanks for those whom have given reviews by the way and please don't worry about Secrets in the Dark. I'm already writing the next chapter as we speak (or read). So, the next chapter will be Squall's first appearance in the story so cross your fingers! Chapter 5: Our Eyes Met. 


	5. Chapter 5: Our Eyes Met

A Note on this AU:  
  
Seifer and Quistis—Seifer is not your cocky, arrogant bastard in this story. In this fanfic of mine, Squall and Seifer never met before, so you probably have to imagine them without the scars or some kind of heated rivalry. Seifer and Quistis are a couple in this fic and are really sweet to each other. Not really a "love grows" Seiftis for Quistis and Seifer fans.  
  
Selphie and Irvine—Well, Selphie and Irvine are really just Selphie and Irvine. Nothing much to fuss about.  
  
Rinoa—Well, Rinoa is your typical genius violinist with a really gorgeous face. In The Curse of the Stradivarius however, she doesn't have Seifer as her boyfriend during the past. Rather, she has never found love before, so I guess the relationship with Squall is going to be a first for her.  
  
Squall—Never grew up with the orphanage gang. Has a legit family plus Ellone is his blood sister. I'm not going to reveal anymore from this point on about Squall.  
  
Edea and the Orphanage—As you can see, Edea isn't your Matron in this fic. She is Cid the Carnegie Hall manager's wife. Meaning, no orphanage scenes here or any of them suddenly reminiscing a past with each other.  
  
Laguna—A genius doctor. Quite the contrary to his character in the game don't you think?  
  
Setting—This takes place mostly in Italy and...oh I'm saying too much! Just watch out for the next few chapters okay?  
  
Overall—This is an AU. It's supposed to be different from the original setting of FF8. So please don't be surprised if some of the things in this fic are a tad bit too different from the game.  
  
To the many people who have reviewed my story, thank you very much for your support. I hope you do find the time to continue reading this story and tell me if it needs a tad bit of improvement at all. Well, happy reading and enjoy this chapter!  
  
Chapter Titles:  
  
1. Concerto del Morte—the concert of death.  
  
2. Il Sonata di Sogno—the sonnet of dreams  
  
Our Eyes Met  
  
An Italian autumn evening was certainly a highlight any romantic couple shouldn't miss. With its trees of lava, gold, and tan littering leaves all over the green hills and plains, and with the breathtaking view of the setting sun casting its lights of yellow mingled with orange on the ground, there would be no better time chosen for a trip to Italy than this pre- winter season. The slightly chilly, partly lukewarm temperature only added to that atmosphere which sent hearts and kisses floating in the air.  
  
"Irvy, look at what I found!" Selphie was holding up a maple leaf reddened by age. "Isn't it lovely?"  
  
Irvine found a similar leaf on the grass and picked it up, waving it back and forth as he approached the perky brunette in front of him. "Hey look! I found another one that looks exactly like that!"  
  
Selphie's eyes gleamed and she whispered, "Do you know what this means?"  
  
Irvine smirked and asked, "Try me. I'm fresh out of ideas."  
  
Selphie giggled and touched the tip of her leaf with Irvine's. "Soulmates!"  
  
Irvine smiled and threw a bunch of leaves he had been hiding earlier behind his back at her face, but missed. Selphie stuck out her tongue at him and began running around the Loire estate's gorgeous lawn, with Irvine trailing behind her chucking crumpled leaves of a myriad of colors at her. About a hundred meters away, Quistis and Seifer were sharing a moment of silence on a bench hidden in one of the vast garden's secluded areas, watching Selphie and Irvine playing around like four year olds in Sir Laguna's yard.  
  
"They're so childish!" Quistis laughed as she shook her head. "Seeing them like this makes you wonder if Irvine really is the master pianist we saw performing the other night."  
  
Seifer pouted like a puppy and asked her, "Aw...don't you miss these childhood moment Quis? I sure do." He inched closer to her in an attempt to kiss her cheek but she immediately put a hand in front of Seifer's face.  
  
"Seifer, I don't kiss children like that. It's disgusting," she told him as she tried stifling the smile forming on the corner of her lips.  
  
"Really, then what if I coax you to get into bed with me? Will that change your mind?" he asked her seductively.  
  
She turned to face him. "Horny men aren't my type either so you keep that hand out of my pants!" She slapped the palm of his that was creeping up the left leg of her shorts and he immediately removed it from her legs to avoid her whip-like slaps.  
  
"Then what do you want prima donna?" Seifer inquired as he wrapped his arms gently around her waist.  
  
"Romance," came the blunt reply from Quistis.  
  
"Well if it's romance you want then it's romance you'll ge..." Seifer was about to say something that he thought would make her swoon, but Quistis silenced him with a finger.  
  
"Shhh! Seifer can you hear that?" she said as tried listening for the sound of Rinoa playing the violin. "It's beautiful..." She closed her eyes and began humming along with the tune of the piece.  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes to the direction from where the sound was coming from and tried identifying the music Rinoa was playing. It was beautiful—slow yet incredibly romantic, relaxing yet not boring. She was playing one of the great Fritz Kreisler's well known Adagios, Liebeslied. Translated into English, the German word would mean Love and Sorrow, and undoubtedly, the beauty of the piece focused entirely on the music of love and love lost. "Say, didn't she play that in the concert?" Seifer asked a hypnotized Quistis.  
  
She opened her eyes and sighed happily. "She did, but this is so much more beautiful. Since you don't know much about music..." Seifer scoffed at her and Quistis just giggled at his response. "Classical music that is, you ought to know that violins are so much more beautiful when played in open air."  
  
Seifer smirked and said, "Whatever." Quistis' jaw dropped as if she had just been mocked (and she was). "You! I'm trying to tell you something and you! Oh forget it Seifer!" She turned away from the tall man and retorted, "Don't talk to me! In fact, for the next half hour, just shut up and listen to some beautiful music! They say that classical music makes you smart so hopefully that will add some brain to your thick skull Seifer Almasy!"  
  
Seifer turned the other way also and replied, "Fine! Fine! Have it your way oh classical loving brainiac Quisty! Fine! Get all that brainwave thingy into your head! Hah!" Quistis ignored him however so he sighed, crossed his arms, and finally decided to sit though another few minutes of culture. Rinoa had just finished the Liebeslied and was now playing the familiar violin solo that John Williams had composed for the movie Schindler's List. It was a solemn piece, and Seifer couldn't help but reminisce several moments from the movie as images of the poor Jews being slaughtered came flashing into his mind. He then remembered his German lineage and began feeling slightly depressed—depressed that it was his Aryan race that had nearly driven the Jews of Europe to near extermination.  
  
'So this is the true power of music. I never thought...I never thought that it would be this powerful. Feeling all that guilt...that sorrow..." Seifer thought as he closed his eyes, trying to get in touch with the emotions pouring out of the archaic Stradivarius.  
  
"Seifer...it's gorgeous isn't it?" she finally said after Rinoa had played the final note. When she turned to look at her boyfriend, she noticed that he was deep in thought. "Seifer?"  
  
Seifer was lost in his own little world of imagination when he was sent back into the world of reality upon the final swing of the bow. "Hmmm...?"  
  
Quistis smiled at him and placed her hand over his cheek. "See, I told you that it was beautiful. Did you like it?"  
  
Seifer removed his feet from the bench and set them on the ground. "What do you think?"  
  
"I think you were enjoying that wonderful piece back there. I saw you closing your eyes and swaying like this." She imitated Seifer's position earlier and began copying his moves.  
  
Seifer snickered at her, "You know, for someone as sexy and smart as you are, it surprises me that you still need to take up mime and acting lessons."  
  
Quistis playfully slapped his arm and returned, "And you need to take some culture immersion boy."  
  
"Don't call me boy."  
  
"Then stop insulting my intelligence."  
  
"As if you had some."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"Alright. So who was the first man on the moon?"  
  
"Neil Armstrong. WAIT!!! Why am I even doing this? You know, I still am wondering why you became my boyrfriend!"  
  
"And I am still wondering how a smart girl like you would even fall for the excellent combination of brains and brawn that is moi!"  
  
"You?!? You are just all brawn mister! Not a single ounce of brain is working in that thick skull of yours."  
  
"Hey! I thought girls like brawn!"  
  
"Well, I'm not like most girls."  
  
"And that's probably why I love you Miss Intellectual yet oh so Sexy." Seifer brought her closer to him by her waist.  
  
"And that's probably why I'm feeling hot all over right now," Quistis panted as they locked their lips in a deep, passionate kiss.  
  
On the other side of the garden, Selphie and Irvine had their backs on the ground, both of them enjoying the clouds and pointing out queer shapes when a black Ferrari suddenly passed them by on the main road to the manor.  
  
--------------------  
  
Ellone was sitting on the front foyer sofa sipping a cup of tea. She had been there all afternoon enjoying the beautiful music coming from the guest room when she suddenly heard the screeching of tires. Ecstatically standing up and placing the tea on the coffee table, she went down the stairs and flung the doors open to welcome her brother.  
  
"Squall!!!! You're home!" she greeted him while flinging her arms around his shoulders.  
  
"Missed me Sis?" he asked her with a smile as he hung the coat on the rack.  
  
Ellone laughed and helped him remove the thick vest he was wearing. "Of course I did silly! Everyone misses you when you're not around!"  
  
"Yeah right! You and what army?" he sarcastically questioned her.  
  
She returned to the sofa and signaled him to come over and sit down with her. "Me and the Violin Reproduction army," she coolly said as she placed a cube of sugar in her tea. Squall laughed hard at her joke. Ellone had called Zell and Laguna the Violin Reproduction Army, as they were usually conducting some experiments in their laboratory trying to mimic Antonio Stradivari's violins.  
  
'This is one nutty family,' Squall remarked to himself as he picked out one of the chocolate mints on the table and popped one into his mouth.  
  
"So how was work today? And why did you come home so early?" she queried him after squeezing a few drops of lemon juice into her beverage.  
  
"Whoa! One at a time! Well, first of all, we've just finished the set for tomorrow's production of Puccini's Turandot. If you want to come and see the opera, I'll take you there tomorrow. And to answer your second question, well, I finished early today," he blurted out while chewing the meltingly refreshing chocolate.  
  
"Really? You'll take your older Sis to some opera? Now now Squall, I'm older than you but I'm not that old," she said while trying to fake some wrinkles on her face.  
  
"Hey! Are you calling me old? I listen to these rehearsals almost everyday and I look young and hot as ever!"  
  
Ellone replaced the shawl she usually wore and told Squall, "Well, you are always serious and all but I think a lot of the women who work at La Scala like you. You know Sandra?"  
  
Squall raised an eyebrow and asked, "The fifty-five year old vocal coach? She likes me?"  
  
Ellone nodded her head. "Yeah that one! And no she doesn't like like you Squall! She tells me that a lot of the sopranos and mezzos who audition for the roles in La Scala usually fidget and sing notes too high, low, or just plain wrong when you're watching them."  
  
Squall sighed and rested his back on the couch while stretching his arms. "Told you that I was hot! So tell me Ellone, where did you get this new CD? It's really great! Maybe I should invite the artist to come and perform in Milan one of these days."  
  
Ellone laughed and gulped down her last drop of tea. "That live CD? Well, I think I got it this morning from Zell when he picked up some people from the airport." None of them noticed that the music had already stopped.  
  
"Dad has some visitors? And they gave you a CD?" he skeptically asked her.  
  
"Well...sort of like that. But Squall..."  
  
"Um, excuse me Ellone but do you know where I can get some water?" came the demure question from above the stairs.  
  
Squall and Ellone looked up and Squall could feel his stomach roll over on itself. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen—pale, perfect skin, rich ruby lips, and dark hair that fell over her shoulders like cascading waterfalls. Her body was a beauty as well—the curves ever so well defined, and her legs were wonderful to look at. Wearing only a white T- shirt and a pair of denim shorts, Squall couldn't help but stammer, "R- right o-over there in the k-k-kitchen!!!" He pointed to a door on the ground floor and fixed his collar with his other free hand.  
  
Rinoa stood there mesmerized by the man she had seen earlier in the painting. He was even better looking in real life—his face chiseled delicately like an elf, his body which seemed so firm and toned. His unruly brown hair was sticking out in all places, but that only added to his charm. And those eyes—Rinoa felt her throat going dry just by gazing at those blue-grey orbs. "Thank you," she barely whispered as she made her way to the kitchen. Her palms were sweating and she felt like her heart was trying to ram its way out of her ribcage. She quickly opened the door and immediately closed it behind her.  
  
When Rinoa was out of earshot, Squall was fidgeting nervously on the sofa. He didn't notice that his hand was clutching the armrest of the furniture. "Squall," Ellone said as she put her hand on his thigh.  
  
"Hmmm?" he uneasily replied.  
  
"That is dad's expensive leather sofa. You might want to try removing your hand from the leather before you rip it completely off."  
  
"Oh..." Squall removed his hand from the furniture and fixed his tie. He said rather squeakily, "Well...I'm going to take a shower." He stood up and began walking the stairs to his room. "Um, come with me to La Scala tomorrow okay?"  
  
Ellone brushed off the stray bang from her forehead and answered, "Sure Squall. So I guess I'd better wake up early tomorrow." She filled her tea cup with hot water and sipped on the liquid. When she heard Squall enter his room, she slyly grinned and murmured, "This is going to be interesting..."  
  
================  
  
As the sun set and the stars of the celestial heavens began appearing one by one in the night sky, the smell of roasting meat, stewed tomatoes, baking wheat, and simmering herb mixtures perfumed the air with its nostalgic aromas.  
  
"Mmm...do you smell that Irvy?" Selphie asked her boyfriend as she sniffed for the scent of delicious Italian food.  
  
Irvine was playing the piano all this time when he paused to take a whiff of the fragrances of the household cook's creations. "Yup! That sure smells good! I wonder if that is pasta? Or what about that meat? Mmmm...smells like venison or something."  
  
Quistis and Seifer soon joined them and Quistis paused for a moment to stop and smell the food. "Wow! Wonder what's cooking tonight." She dragged Seifer to the sofa and told Irvine, "Irvine, please continue. That was beautiful."  
  
Irvine smiled, nodded, and continued playing the piece he had been playing before Selphie told him to sniff the air. None of them noticed that an old lady had entered the room. When Irvine tapped his fingers on the last key, everyone began clapping, including the old lady.  
  
"Bravo Signore! That was so beautiful!" the old woman applauded him.  
  
They all turned to where she was standing and she continued in her apparently strong Italian accent, "Well, Sir Laguna is asking all of you to join him at the dinner table. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes but I already put the antipasto on the table. This way please." She led all of them into a gorgeous dining room with a chandelier in the middle. Across the table, Laguna, Ellone, and Zell were already waiting for them, welcoming them with warm smiles.  
  
"Why, so glad all of you could make it to dinner," Laguna said as he unfolded the cloth that covered the freshly baked bread. "Please, help yourself to some of this bread. Sophia baked it earlier." Grabbing a knife, he sliced the loaf and the steam immediately rose from where he cut the brown oval.  
  
Selphie rubbed her hands together and said, "Boy, that loaf sure does look good." She took a slice of bread from the basket and dipped it in a mixture of olive oil, grated parmigiano (parmesan), olive chunks, tomatoes, and basil. "And this dip! Tastes like food from heaven!" she exclaimed after her first bite.  
  
Everyone soon had their share of bread and praised it like it was the best loaf they've ever had on earth. Laguna added, "Well, it should be. Sophia made it."  
  
"Grazie millie signore, but you haven't tasted everything yet if you think my bread is good," chuckled Sophia as she entered the kitchen while rolling in a cart of appetizers.  
  
"What is that?" Quistis asked hungrily when she saw a variety of Italian antipasto being set on the table.  
  
"That, signorina, is my carpaccio de bue con limone e arugula, or as you say in English, raw beef slices in olive oil with lemon and arugula salad," she happily informed her as she lay the plate in the center.  
  
"Wow!" Seifer exclaimed as he saw the wonderful dishes set on the table. "I'm definitely looking for an Italian mama in this town!"  
  
Everyone laughed, including Sophia, but Quistis elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Ow! What did you do that for?" he annoyingly asked her.  
  
"Nothing. I just thought that was what most American mamas do when their boyfriends think of other people," she dryly told him.  
  
"But then again, I think you are the best for me," he wooed her.  
  
"If I am the best for you," she seductively told him as she displayed the fullness of her lips, "then listen to me. Shut up and eat." Quistis looked back to her food and lifted her fork. "I'm not in the mood to laugh at your jokes."  
  
Seifer crossed his arms like a little boy and pouted. "Well that wasn't a joke."  
  
Everyone at the table laughed again when Laguna said, "Sophia, can you please get Miss Heartilly and Squall before the food gets cold?"  
  
"Si Signore!" she answered as she left the dining room.  
  
------------------------  
  
Squall was in his room, putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt when he heard Sophia calling Rinoa's name outside his room.  
  
"Signorina, it's eating time and Sir Laguna requests that you come join him for dinner," she informed her.  
  
'Boy, Italian women sure have loud voices," Squall mentally joked as he put on his shorts. 'You can hear them inside, outside, and just about anywhere in the house.' He collapsed on his bed and lay there staring blankly at the ceiling.  
  
"Squall..." he heard Sophia say when she opened the door a bit. "May I come in Signore?"  
  
Without averting his gaze from the ceiling, Squall said, "Sure Sophia. Come in."  
  
Sophia walked to his bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Your father is asking you to join him. Will you come down?"  
  
"Sure..." he lazily replied. "In a while Sophia."  
  
Sophia laughed and Squall just raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem so different today. I've never seen you this happy in months."  
  
Squall tilted his head on one side and queried, "What do you mean?"  
  
Sophia chuckled with her lips closed and continued, "Ah, when I was young, I could remember my first son. He was handsome, but not as handsome as you are. A lot of girls would come and flock over to him and start saying that they love him. But when he saw someone he liked, he began acting a bit strange like you are right now."  
  
"What makes you say that?" he inquired the old maid.  
  
Sophia replied, "Squall, I've been your nanny since you were this small." She held her hand over to her waist to emphasize her point. "I know how you look when you see a beautiful girl in school. Of course I know you're in love."  
  
Squall blushed and said, "But, I'm not!"  
  
"Of course, you're not," Sophia laughed. "Your lips may not say it, but your heart does," she told him while poking his chest. "You like that violin girl, don't you?"  
  
'How did she know???' Squall wondered.  
  
"I didn't say that I like her."  
  
"But you didn't say that you don't," Sophia rebutted him. "You know, you should stop relaxing like that and come down. The violin lady is downstairs right now, and the only empty space beside her seat is yours. If you don't come down, well, as you Americans say in your movies, 'It's your loss.'"  
  
Sophia stood up and headed for the door. "Squall, I just put the antipastos on the table so you can still catch up with dinner. I made your favorite lasagna so don't break my heart by not eating tonight." She shut the door and Squall could hear her laugh like a hyena as she went back to the kitchen.  
  
"Well, no use staying here," he mumbled to himself as he got up. He pulled a pair of flip -flops from his closet and opened the door to the hall. Fishing his key out of his pocket, he locked the room and turned around to see the girl he had seen earlier.  
  
"Hi," he shyly said as he put the keys in his pocket. 'Man! Can't I think of anything more interesting than hi?"  
  
She shyly waved back and replied, "Hi!" 'Gosh, he's really cute. Was that hi interesting enough for him?'  
  
Squall put his keys back into his pocket and wiped the sweat off his hands. "Uh, so you're heading to the living, I mean dining room right?" 'Did I say that right? I shouldn't have said living! I should not have said that! It was so wrong!'  
  
"Uh, yeah. I am, I think." Rinoa's fingers were fidgeting so she had to put them behind her back. 'I think? What did I mean by 'I think?' Of course I know I'm going to the dining room. Gosh, I must have sounded really stupid to him.'  
  
"So, um, do you know the way?" he sheepishly queried her as he put his hands in his pocket to keep them from shaking obviously. 'Was that a smooth move? Wait! Why did I even ask that? Of course she doesn't know the way!'  
  
"I, I guess so. But I'm a bit new here so will you please lead the way?" she sheepishly asked him.  
  
'YES! She asked me to lead the way!'  
  
"Sure! I'll show you the way," he said as he beckoned her to follow him.  
  
"So, what's your name?" Squall asked Rinoa as they descended down the stairs.  
  
"Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly," came the blunt answer from her.  
  
"Nice name," he plainly said. 'Nice name? Oh Squall you sure are a poet. Nice name is so old.'  
  
She blushed pink, red, and maroon and had to wipe her hands on her shirt to keep the sweat from building up. "Thanks. So what's yours?"  
  
"Squall. Squall Leonhart," he answered her.  
  
"Oh. I like it," she told him with a radiant smile. 'Did I sound like I was hitting on him? NO!!! That was sooo stupid of me!'  
  
"Well, um, thanks," replied Squall as he tried to keep his cheeks from heating up. Eventually, he led her to the front foyer and entered the mansion's music room.  
  
"Wow! This place is perfect!" Rinoa clapped her hands and looked around the room. "The acoustics are great for just about anything."  
  
Squall smiled and bounded for the door that led to the dining room. "Glad you liked it."  
  
Rinoa followed Squall to the door and asked, "Um, would it be alright if I used this room...you know...for practicing the violin?"  
  
Squall nodded and answered, "Sure, you're the guest here so feel free to use any room you want in the house. Except for my room, that is." 'I am frantically hoping that she didn't take that seriously.'  
  
Rinoa laughed and said, "Okay." 'He's even cuter when he jokes around.'  
  
Soon, they finally got to the dining room only to be welcomed by everyone staring at them. "Squall, please, sit down and have some of this wonderful food," Laguna offered him as he pointed to a chair.  
  
Ellone got up and held Rinoa's arm. "Rinoa, you really should sit here." She led Rinoa to the seat beside Squall's.  
  
"What are you doing Ellone?" Squall asked his sister when he noticed the sly grin on her face.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all," she winked at him. "Those are the only two seats remaining so we decided to reserve them for you both. So what took you guys so long?"  
  
Rinoa put a mound of salad on her plate and said, "Well, Squall and I met up in the hallway and he led me to the dining room."  
  
Ellone placed both arms on the table and rested her chin on her intertwined hands. "That's all you guys did? Sophia came here about ten minutes ago after we asked her to fetch you guys. Fifteen minutes sure is a long time to get here, don't you think?"  
  
Squall irritably chewed on his carpaccio. "Ellone, what are you trying to get at?"  
  
Ellone innocently fluttered her eyes and said, "Nothing dear brother. Just my sisterly instincts I guess." She spooned a few dribbles of dressing over her leaves and passed the sauce bowl to Squall and Rinoa. "Dressing?"  
  
Rinoa took the bowl into her hands and thanked Ellone. A few minutes later, Sophia yet again came in with a trolley of main courses this time. In it was a combination of Italian favorites—Veal Milanese, Neapolitan Lasagna, Fritto Misto, and Acqua Pazza, an Italian version of the famous French bouillabaisse. In another compartment was a fragrant roast chicken with herbs set atop a wooden carving board. The portly woman began gathering the empty antipasto platters from the table and placed it under the cart, after which she placed the dishes save the chicken all over the table. After that had been done, she grabbed a carving knife and sliced thin pieces of poultry, placing them on a platter alongside a sauce bowl filled with her special dip. When her work was done, she returned to the kitchen.  
  
Laguna stared at all of them, wondering to as why they weren't grabbing food from the table, and raised his arms in the air. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's eat!" He grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and opened it, pouring in an ample amount of wine for everyone.  
  
"Thank you Sir Laguna!" came the remark from Selphie when the ruby liquid filled her goblet.  
  
"Don't mention it."  
  
They settled down to eat, and after an hour of endless dining, chatting, laughing, and an occasional Heimlich maneuver for an overeating Zell, Sophia brought in her dessert—a Tiramisu which seemed to taste as good as it looked.  
  
"Enjoy your dinner everyone?" she asked them as she replaced their dinner plates with tiny dessert ones.  
  
Squall lifted his glass to Sophia and said, "Oh yes Sophia. Grazie for the wonderful food!" Everyone lifted their glasses and repeated the phrase.  
  
"Oh Squall!" she giggled. "You do know how to make an old woman happy." She cleared the table of the messy, empty serving plates and finally brought out a fruit platter. "A little something for those who don't want to look like me," she told them as she patted her belly.  
  
Everyone laughed and Seifer remarked with a grin, "But I want the Tiramisu!" All of them laughed even louder and after a while, Sophia finally left the dining room.  
  
When the large dish of coffee-soaked sponge, mascarpone cream, and chocolate had taken its first trip around the table, only a fourth of it remained.  
  
"This is so good," Irvine commented as he pierced a piece of the cake with his fork.  
  
"Possibly the best tiramisu I've ever tasted," Seifer said as he gulped down a huge piece of tiramisu down his throat.  
  
All of them dined and devoured the tiramisu, and much to their surprise, the fruits were wonderful too.  
  
"These fruits are so sweet!" Quistis exclaimed after one bite of the juicy, red strawberries laid down on the vast platter.  
  
Laguna popped a cherry into his mouth and said, "Italy is a great country for agriculture. Almost everything here is fabulous."  
  
At that, they all began grabbing a piece of this or that fruit and nothing was left in the wooden plate after it was passed from around Laguna to well...Laguna.  
  
"You guys sure eat a lot!" he exclaimed when he saw an empty fruit board and a totally clean tiramisu serving plate.  
  
Seifer patted his stomach and said, "Well, you know about the servings in America. Almost everything is huge."  
  
The group sat down there for a few minutes, trying to wait for the food to digest before retiring to bed. Ellone was taking a sip of wine when she suddenly turned to Squall. "Squall, I don't think I'll be available for La Scala tomorrow."  
  
"Why sis? Is something wrong?" He tilted his head slightly in a questioning look.  
  
"No, not at all. It's just that we have these guests here and I don't have the heart to leave them alone. Why don't you take someone else instead?" she suggested. "Someone like...oh, I don't know, Rinoa?"  
  
"Rinoa? But what about the others?" he questioned his sister. Ellone winked at the others and they got the message.  
  
Squall looked around the table, beginning from Seifer and Quistis.  
  
"Well, Quisty and I want to see Cremona for a while so I guess we'll pass."  
  
Squall turned to Selphie and Irvine.  
  
"Selph wants to see Cremona too. She likes quiet towns," Irvine noted.  
  
'Man! Isn't anyone interested here? Well, at least that leaves me with...'  
  
"So, I guess it's just you and me. You wanna come see La Scala?" he offered Rinoa.  
  
Rinoa sipped her water, smiled, and nodded curtly. "Okay." 'Is that a date?'  
  
"Aw! Squall has a date!" Zell blurted out as he punched the air.  
  
Squall turned to Zell and gave him a really menacing look. "Shut up Zell."  
  
Zell just laughed and gulped down a half glass of wine. He stood up and said, "Whatever Squall! See ya tomorrow!"  
  
Laguna grinned and informed Rinoa, "So you're going with Squall to Milan right? Well you'd better get up early tomorrow. Squall usually leaves at around six thirty in the morning."  
  
"Don't worry about me Sir Laguna. I usually wake up at around six. I do have one question though sir," she said to the dignified professor.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"How's my violin?"  
  
"Well, I'm not done with it yet so I guess you'll be having a lot of free time," he said. Clapping his hands, he signaled to everybody, "Okay everyone! Let's go up to our rooms. Don't worry Rinoa, I'll have it done within a week." Laguna got up and stretched his arms and left the dining room.  
  
Quistis, Seifer, Irvine, Selphie, and Rinoa soon followed. When the siblings were finally alone, Squall got up and tapped Ellone's shoulders. She turned and found him whispering into her ear, "When you're up to something, don't make it so obvious!"  
  
After leaving the room, Ellone finally had the heart to giggle uncontrollably, her laughs muffled by her palm. "Sure Squall, I won't make it obvious. But at least you've got a date!" she whispered to herself.  
  
====================  
  
This is my longest chapter so far so I'll really whine if you don't read this! (Just kidding) But do please write a review. A rounded review would really help, as would tips and corrections so that I can make this story much more enjoyable for the lot of you. Well, I guess this is it. I'm really sleepy now so I'll give you the title of my next chapter: Buongiorno Milano! 


	6. Chapter 6: Buongiorno Milano

Buongiorno Milano!  
  
Rinoa laid on her side staring at an Italian dawn as the birds outside chirped their songs of awakening. Her senses awoke to the smell of the dew of morning as a fresh breeze from the beautiful estate forest seeped through the slightly open windows to lend the scent of pine, mahogany, spruce, and maple to the rooms neighboring the vast greenery. It was a refreshing sight and a most wonderful relaxing experience for anyone who had been exposed to too much city and smog. Rinoa watched the faint glow of the rising sun beyond the horizon, and never before had she felt so contented just to see it rear its light into the world again. Only days ago, Death had once again visited one of her recitals, claiming so many of the patrons who had supported her career. She had felt miserable ever since, feeling guilty that her beautiful, yet enigmatic instrument had somehow caused their untimely demise.  
  
'Should I have played that night? What if I stop playing...then maybe, the killings will stop.' She sighed on her pillow and let her eyes follow the flying robin that perched on the tree beside her bedroom. It did a funny bird walk to the nest beside the trunk and threw up a couple of worms to little hatchlings that waited for their mother's hard-won breakfast. 'Life sure is simple when you are an animal. No nerve-wracking performances to bother you or pesky curses to kill patrons during your concerts.'  
  
She stayed in her position for a couple more minutes when she felt someone sit down on the other side of the bed. When she turned to her other side, Rinoa found Squall looking at her through shabby, wet bangs. "Good morning," he greeted her.  
  
Rinoa rubbed her eyes and returned, "Good morning...mmm...is it time to leave?" 'You shouldn't have come in. I look so horrible in the morning!'  
  
Squall used his right hand to brush some of the damp hair off his forehead. "Well, I'm leaving in about thirty minutes so I hope that's enough time for you to take a shower and get dressed. Don't worry, I'll treat you to breakfast," he softly told her. 'Wow! Not many girls look this good in the morning. I remember that rich Italian girl...never mind. Gives me the creeps.'  
  
Rinoa got up from bed and sat upright with her back against the headboard. "What time is it?"  
  
Squall shook off the cuff of his sleeve to reveal a very nice-looking watch. "It's 5:30 AM. I'm really sorry if I woke you up this early in the morning. I just wanted to catch the 6:30 train. Is that okay with you?"  
  
Rinoa stretched out her arms and nodded. "Yeah, that's okay. Um, I'm gonna take a shower now so can you...?" she said as she rolled her eyes towards the door.  
  
Squall furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and then suddenly realized what she was trying to tell him. He blushed and said, "Oh! Okay! Sorry!" before exiting her room.  
  
Rinoa giggled and walked to the beautiful peach-colored Italian bathroom. Stripping off her nightgown, she stepped into the shower and turned the knobs, sending a spray of warm liquid towards her body. 'Gosh it feels so good to have a nice shower.'  
  
About a quarter of an hour later, Rinoa emerged from the bathroom in a robe. She opened the wardrobe in the side of the room where she had placed all her clothes last night and put on a white turtleneck with a pair of black jeans. After running a hairdryer through her beautiful raven hair, she gave it a final touch of the brush and gave herself a final look at the mirror. 'Well, I'm not that much of an expert at grooming but here goes anyway. Wish me luck!' she told her reflection. She put on some black boots and left her room, finding Squall sitting in the front foyer sofa waiting for her.  
  
Squall looked up and couldn't help but gawk at the figure descending from the staircase. "H-hi! You look...um...beautiful." He found himself tongue tied and extremely stiff just watching her walk towards him.  
  
Rinoa blushed and shyly looked at the floor. "Thanks." She then realized that they were saying nothing to each other, so she decided to break the ice. "Uh, you look really...handsome yourself." 'He said I looked beautiful!'  
  
"Thanks. So, shall we go now?" he asked her. She nodded and began following him when he went out of the manor. 'Did she just say that I looked handsome? Score!' He led her to the black Ferrari parked in front of the house and entered the sleek, oh so heavenly vehicle.  
  
"Wow!" Rinoa exclaimed as she rested her bottom against the expensive leather of the seats. "I've always dreamed of riding one of these."  
  
Squall smirked at her and said, "Really? Then today's your lucky day." He started the ignition and began driving the gorgeous car out of the manor, snaking his way like a sparrow through the streets of Cremona until they reached the train station. Parking his car in an area hidden from plain sight, he exited his door and opened the other side for Rinoa.  
  
"That was...exhilarating!" Rinoa exclaimed as she held onto Squall's hand while getting out of the Ferrari.  
  
Squall smiled broadly and blushed when he realized that she was holding his hand. "I'm glad you liked it." He felt like his stomach was beginning to work against him when he suddenly remembered something important. "Uh, here's your ticket by the way!" He pulled out a ticket from his pocket and gave it to her. "We're taking one of the private cars."  
  
Rinoa took the slip of cardboard into her hands and said thank you. Both she and Squall went to the platform where the train to Milan was arriving and sat on a bench beside the rails. "Can I get you something to eat? I promised you breakfast remember?" Squall reminded her when they settled down.  
  
Rinoa silently said, "Well, maybe just a bit to drink, but I can wait." 'He's really sweet. I wonder if he has a girlfriend?'  
  
Squall stood up and unzipped his black leather jacket that exposed his dark, navy blue turtleneck sweater. "So, can I get you some coffee or anything at all? The train ride's going to take about forty-five minutes and I don't want you to get hungry on the way. They don't serve breakfast or snacks in the train until eight in the morning," he explained to her.  
  
"Um, I don't really know much about Italian coffee. I heard that there are lots of varieties of espresso but I'm not such an expert at that kind of stuff," she curtly answered. 'And such a gentleman. I hope he's not yet taken.'  
  
Squall then offered her, "I know, why don't you come with me to the coffee shop and I'll get you something nice. What about that?" 'I wonder if she has a boyfriend.'  
  
Rinoa replied "Okay" and they both walked to the coffee shop about ten meters away from the benches. Entering into the warmth of the cozy shop gave them both a bit of relief from the cold autumn air outside. Stepping up to the counter, Squall pointed to a blackboard with coffee names written all over it and asked Rinoa, "There's all the coffee you want. Just tell me what you feel like having and I'll buy you one, okay?"  
  
She looked up and down the blackboard and finally chose one of the beverages. "I'd like to try the macchiato." Squall nodded and told the man on the counter, "Eh, signore, un macchiato ed un breve per favore. (One macchiato and a breve (espresso with light cream on top) please)"  
  
The middle aged man on the counter prepared their beverages and set two Styrofoam cups with lids on the counter. "Quello sara 1.5 Euro." Squall reached out for a few coins in his pocket and paid the man, exiting the shop with Rinoa and returning to the bench when he noticed that the train hadn't arrived yet.  
  
"So you're the famous violinist Rinoa Heartilly I presume," Squall began as he sipped his hot coffee.  
  
Rinoa wrapped her hands around the warm cup in an attempt to keep the cold out and answered, "Yeah, I am."  
  
Squall took another sip and asked, "So what brings you here to Italy?"  
  
Rinoa looked at him and said, "Well, some people believe that my violin is playing some tricks of its own and I decided to let your father work with it. I heard that he is the best when it comes to things like these." The cold morning air was making her knuckles white, and she tried to rub them on the hot Styrofoam as she conversed with Squall.  
  
Squall noticed that she was feeling cold and decided to help her out. "I normally don't do this around other people but, since you're feeling cold," he said as he peeled off the leather wrapped around his palms. "Ellone says my hands are really warm so um...just hold them okay?" He offered her his hand and placed them around hers.  
  
She blushed like a tomato and stammered, "Um...well...I don't know...okay!" 'My heart is beating really fast right now. I can feel it pounding against my chest. I think I'm going to have a heart attack in a train station...I wonder if he's feeling the same. Oh these hands are so warm, I think I'm melting.'  
  
"Your hands are so cold," was all that Squall could say as he wrapped his large palms around hers. 'I don't know if I'm insane or what but I'll never do this again! What was I thinking?! But I gotta admit, it feels nice. Shut up brain.'  
  
Squall looked away from her and used his free hand to bring the warm cup of breve to his lips when Rinoa whispered, "Squall, thank you." Squall turned his head around to face her and said, "Don't mention it."  
  
After a while, the train arrived, and the station manager led them to their private compartment. After sitting on the sofa, Squall and Rinoa took seats on either side of the little room. When the train departed, they remained silent while looking outside to gaze at the wonderful scenery.  
  
"You know, you can enjoy the view from this side more," murmured Squall as he looked at a field of cows grazing. "Do you want to sit beside me?" 'Boy, that came out a bit too direct didn't it? What did I eat again last night?'  
  
Rinoa crossed over and sat beside Squall and leaned over to look at the plains. "You're right about one thing," she said as she witnessed two calves suckling their mother, and then turning her gaze to Squall. "The view is much better." She smiled at him and sat back on the soft couch. As the train began to speed up, the fields soon became a blur and Rinoa felt light-headed. Her eyes started drooping and in a little while, she fell asleep.  
  
Squall felt guilty for having to drag her all the way here this early in the morning. After seeing her sleep like that without a pillow, he imagined her waking up in Milan with a slightly stiff neck. Slowly, he brought his hand around her head and gently tipped it to the right so that she would be resting on his shoulder. Unconsciously, she moved closer to him and held on to his arm like a little child would. Squall sighed and smiled, and decided for the remaining half hour to let the green of the plains drift by as Rinoa slept soundly beside him.  
  
Outside the car, the train sped through the thick blanket of fog, the morning light shining through cracks in the grayish mist of an Italian morning.  
  
----------------------  
  
A half hour after the departure from beautiful Cremona, the train had finally arrived in the busy city of Milan. Upon arrival, the passengers inside the train began flowing out like water, a regular sight in a regular Milanese rush hour. Inside one of the compartments of the train however, two passengers remained, one asleep and the other watching his companion.  
  
"Rinoa," Squall whispered to the young woman whose head was resting on his shoulder. "We're here."  
  
Rinoa shook her head and fluttered her eyes open. "Huh?" She then realized how close she was to Squall and blushed like a teenager. "Oh! Squall I'm so sorry! I just fell asleep! I hope you weren't bothered at all during the trip!" she energetically said when she saw her arm around his. She immediately let go and moved a few inches away from her companion. 'Did I just sleep on his shoulder??? I can't believe it! He didn't even snap at me! Oh gosh I must have looked so stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid Rinoa! You shouldn't have fallen asleep on him!"  
  
Squall chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I don't sleep at all during these trips." He smiled at her and got up. "Come on, about that breakfast I was telling you about. I'll bring you to this really nice place where they serve really great pastries." He extended his hand to her and helped her up.  
  
"Squall, if I really bothered you at all, I'm sorry," she apologized to him.  
  
Squall shook his head and said, "There's nothing to be sorry about Rinoa. You were asleep. Besides, I was the one who woke you up early in the morning. Now come on, we have to go get some breakfast before the cafes run out of seats."  
  
Rinoa followed Squall as he made his way out of the train to a taxi station. When a cab arrived, he told the driver in rapid Italian to take him to some café and soon, they arrived at the place. Squall and Rinoa entered the small, yet warm little restaurant and the woman in the front desk led them to their table.  
  
"This is a cozy place," commented Rinoa as she let her eyes wander around the room.  
  
"I knew you'd like it,' Squall told her as he read the menu given to him earlier by the woman. "So what are you having?" he asked her.  
  
Rinoa looked at her own menu and said, "I'm not really sure...I think a lot of the stuff here sound good. What do you think would be better, a pastry or some crepes?"  
  
Squall let his eyes fall on the options presented in the menu and said, "The pastries here are the best. If you like their apple turnover or an apricot puff pastry, you can get those here. Or, you can opt for the strawberry jalousie tart. I like that one too."  
  
"I think I'll have their apple turnover," she said as she put it down.  
  
"Ah, that one's really good. The recipe comes from an old town called Siena, but I think they still make the best ones there," he raised his hand to call the waiter and stated his and Rinoa's orders. "The ones here can compete with theirs though," he informed her as he gave her a heartwarming smile.  
  
"You know Squall, I think you should smile more often," Rinoa said after the waiter left for the kitchen.  
  
"Why?" he asked as he removed his jacket and hung it behind him.  
  
"Because I think you look better and nicer when you smile. You don't smile much at home do you?" she questioned him.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
Rinoa smiled and said, "I could tell from the way you were acting at the dinner table last night. You rarely smile when you're around others, except for Ellone that is."  
  
"Really? I never noticed that."  
  
"Since you don't, isn't it better if you started smiling more today, now that I've reminded you? I just think people will feel better if they see a toothy grin rather than a pout from you," she told him.  
  
"Oh," he murmured when she said that. "Well, if you want, I'll smile for you," he told her as he unleashed yet another smile at her.  
  
Rinoa laughed and said, "No, not like that! Just smile naturally. This seems so fake Squall." 'Smile again! Oh he's so cute!'  
  
"Fake? This smile isn't fake at all!" he joked. He grinned wide, exposing his perfect set of white teeth to her.  
  
"See! You do have a sense of humor," she chuckled. "Now if you are like that around other people, I'm sure you can brighten their day just as easy as that."  
  
"Okay Rinoa. Look, our food's here," he indicated to her as a waiter passed by with a peach pastry and Rinoa's puffy apple turnover.  
  
They ate their breakfast in silence and when both were done, Squall paid the bill and left the restaurant with Rinoa to catch another cab. When they were inside, Squall told Rinoa, "So we're going to La Scala now. I work there."  
  
"La Scala? Wow! I've always dreamed of having a performance there! I mean I was able to perform in one of it's smaller theaters once when I was still a small recording artist but I've always wanted to perform in the main auditorium!" she told him with zeal.  
  
"I can arrange a performance schedule for you, if you want," offered Squall.  
  
"Really? You'll do that for me? Thank you Squall," she said as she rubbed her hands together in joy. 'Squall, you're such a sweet guy. Please don't tell me you have a girlfriend. I've never met anyone like you before and I just hope you're still single.'  
  
"And you're welcome too, Miss Heartilly," Squall politely returned. 'Rinoa, I think you're a really attractive lady. With those looks of yours, I'm sure you're already taken but I hope not.'  
  
After a few minutes, the taxi arrived at the entrance of the famed opera house of Milan. Squall and Rinoa stepped out of the car and Squall led her first into the auditorium.  
  
"Ellone was supposed to come with me tonight to see Turandot but she's not available. Would it be alright if you came with me instead?" he asked the violinist when they paused in front of the well designed set patterned after the streets of ancient China.  
  
"Um, you won't have to buy another ticket right? Because if you have to spend money, I'd rather not burden you Squall," she sheepishly told him.  
  
"I'm the manager here so I get to have free seats. Don't worry about the costs. If you're with me, you get to go in free. So, are you coming?"  
  
"Sure Squall, I'll come with you. But won't I need to wear something formal?" she queried Squall.  
  
"No, not at all. I think you look much more beautiful than the super rich billionaire women who come here in gowns if you ask me," he blatantly told her.  
  
Rinoa's face flushed heavily and she said, "Really? I mean, okay, I'll just...you know, come in these things. But what am I going to do in the meantime? You have work right?"  
  
"We'll see. I'll take you to the library in La Scala if you want to research about music and I'll come back for you at about twelve noon. Would that be okay with you?"  
  
"That's very okay with me. I love books!" she exclaimed. "So I'll meet you at lunch?"  
  
"Yup. I'll just take you to the library and I'll ready the seats for our...ahem date tonight," he grinned at her. 'Honestly, I hope you consider this thing tonight as a date.'  
  
"Okay Squall," she replied. 'Squall, I'm hoping that you were a bit more serious about that date thing. Are you?'  
  
=======================  
  
Ah! Chapter 6 is done! Read and review please! Next chapter: A Night at the Operas 


	7. Chapter 7: A Night at the Operas

A Night at the Operas  
  
Rinoa laid her back against the comfortable Italian leather on one of the La Scala library's reading chairs. On her lap, she held a large, old- looking book which she had been reading for the past four hours. After getting to the end of the page, she closed the large tome and stretched out her arms.  
  
'Sigh...this library has so many references on great violins, I don't even know where to start," she thought to herself as she removed her reading glasses and placed them in her sweater's breast pocket. 'I'm going to get some shut eye.'  
  
She closed her eyes and her thoughts began drifting to Squall. 'Squall...he's such a nice guy. I wonder if he likes me. He's cute, smart, really sexy, and such a gentleman. There aren't many guys like him around, and he's really sweet when you get to know him. I just hope he and I could connect just a bit more, rather than just talk and go around the place as if I were some houseguest. Squall...'  
  
"Squall..." she whispered when sleep began to drug her senses.  
  
"Yes?" she heard a voice say behind her.  
  
Rinoa whirled around and saw Squall wearing thin frame, half rim silver glasses standing behind the chair. "Squall! What are you doing here?" 'Whoa! He looks so handsome with those glasses!'  
  
Squall chuckled and softly said, "Relax. I'm taking you out to lunch remember?"  
  
Rinoa placed the book on the table beside the chair and stood up. "Oh yeah. Thanks." She didn't notice that she was blushing while she stood there smiling awkwardly at the manager of the Teatro. "Um, I didn't know that you wear glasses."  
  
"Oh, these?" Squall inquired as he removed the beautiful glasses from the bridge of his nose. "I'm a bit nearsighted so I guess I need these before my myopia worsens. Why, you don't like them?" 'Bummer. I thought she'd like them. Sandra told me these glasses make you look smart and sexy.'  
  
Rinoa drastically shook her hands and head and said, "Oh no, I love them! I mean, they look really nice! I mean, they make you look really sexy. I mean, yeah, I like them!" 'Control yourself Rinoa. You can't break down in front of Squall!'  
  
"Sexy?" Squall skeptically questioned her. 'Did she say sexy? Yeah!'  
  
"Well, they make you look intelligent. I think that adds some sex appeal don't you think?" suggested Rinoa. 'Why am I even saying these things? I never use the word sexy in my vocabulary.' "Um, what brand is that pair?"  
  
Squall adjusted the frames and replied, "Hugo Boss. Now do they really give me sex appeal? (Yes!) Oh well, at least I got a nice pair. So, what do you want to have for lunch?"  
  
Rinoa looked up at the ceiling for an answer and answered, "Is there a great pizzeria here?"  
  
Squall smiled warmly at her and replied, "Sure there is. It's just across the street." Squall pointed to a little pizzeria across the library window and continued, "They serve great wood-fire oven pizzas in that little bistro."  
  
"You really know this place like the back of your hand don't you?" Rinoa asked him as she put on her light jacket.  
  
Squall kept his glasses in his pocket and said, "Well, I grew up here and work here so I guess you can call it home."  
  
Squall led Rinoa outside the library and crossed the street to get to the pizzeria. When they got in, they noticed that it was an almost full house.  
  
"Wow! The food here must be good. Look at this crowd!" exclaimed Rinoa when she saw models, tourists, locals, businessmen, old people, and students partaking the thin discs of well-dressed bread from their tables. She also noticed men in uniforms patting, twirling, and stretching great masses of pizza dough, applying sauces and cheese with minimal toppings.  
  
"In Italy, we don't have anything like Hawaiian or Sausage pizzas in the style of Pizza Hut. No thick crust either," Squall informed her after a waiter led them to a table located in the corner of the café.  
  
Rinoa settled down on the café chair and placed her jacket on her lap. "Oh that's alright. I'll have whatever you think is good. I don't like thick crust pizzas anyway."  
  
"Yeah, me too," murmured Squall as he signaled a waiter to come to their table. After ordering a traditional Pizza Margherita, he turned back to Rinoa and flashed her a winsome smile. "So how was the library? Did you like it?"  
  
Rinoa nodded and replied, "That was the most complete music library I've ever visited in years. Can you believe they have detailed accounts of every Stradivarius ever made? And they have the complete biography of Niccolo Paganini along with scores of his works! I'd stay and read if only I had more time."  
  
"Oh! So you wanted to stay there? Don't worry, I can always bring you to La Scala everyday while your violin is still being inspected. My dad told me that he still can't quite figure out the anatomy or something of your Strad so you guys can enjoy Italy for the time being," Squall said while grabbing a pack of breath mints from his pockets. He popped one into his mouth and let the menthol roll around his tongue and listened for what Rinoa had to say.  
  
"So he hasn't gotten down to the mystery of my violin yet? Oh well, I guess my concerts have to be postponed then..." she sadly sighed.  
  
Squall noticed the dismal look on her face and felt like he wanted to do something for her. "You know, La Scala is going to be void of performances next week so I might invite you to play the violin there. That is, if you want to."  
  
"And risk killing you? Sorry Squall, I don't want to see anyone else die, especially you (oops! Slip up!). I can't afford to lose any more patrons in my concerts," she retorted.  
  
"But I was suggesting that you use one of the Strads in our house collection. They don't sound as rich as yours but I'm sure they play wonderfully if compared with other antique violins," he offered.  
  
"Really? But what if people won't come to my concert? What if word had gotten around that they would die if they listen to me play the violin?"  
  
"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. I'll take care of the publicity and you ready yourself, okay?"  
  
"Thank you Squall," she said she gazed into his lovely blue eyes. At this point, she was wondering whether she ought to tell Squall about how much she felt for him. "Squall..." And Rinoa was just about to confess about her little crush when a huge pizza was set in front of them.  
  
"Buon appetito!" the waiter uttered as he grinned at the couple and left.  
  
'Maybe it's too soon...' thought Rinoa as Squall asked, "You were saying?"  
  
"Nothing. Let's eat," Rinoa replied softly. "Why isn't this pizza sliced?'  
  
Squall tore a piece of from the large hunk of a pizza and placed it on a smaller plate. "In here, they never slice their pizzas like pies. Instead, they tear them like the priests do with the communion bread."  
  
"I see. That's sounds interesting, can I try?" she queried him after he placed chunks of bubbly cheese and tomato covered dough on her plate. Squall nodded and she tore of a piece of the pizza, getting her nails covered in red sauce. She laughed and said, "At least I don't need a manicure anymore!"  
  
Squall laughed heartily too and dug his teeth into a piece. Both of them shared the pizza until not a single crumb was left on the serving platter.  
  
"Thank you Squall. I enjoyed lunch today," Rinoa shyly told Squall after wiping her lips with a napkin. 'I enjoyed talking to you more.'  
  
"No problem. Uh, I'll just ask for the check and I'll give you a tour of Milan." When he received the check, Squall paid up and led her back to the entrance of La Scala.  
  
"What are we doing here?" Rinoa asked when she noticed that Squall was headed for the famed opera house.  
  
"Getting a taxi," came the short response from Squall.  
  
When the cab arrived, Squall told the driver to take both of them to the Duomo, a grandiose church in the city that took not 500 years to complete as it went through a myriad of periodical architecture changes.  
  
"Wow! That must be the most beautiful church I've ever seen!" Rinoa blurted out as they entered the intricately designed edifice. "You said it took five hundred years to complete? It's amazing!"  
  
"Well, of course it is. It's designed by the ever so clever Italians," Squall proudly added.  
  
Rinoa gaped at the temple in awe. It was so beautiful, and although it wasn't as magnificent in the art factor as was the Vatican church, it was splendid in every manner possible. The interior was a combination of the old Roman style along with some medieval century flavor, while the exterior—no words could describe the intricacy of the little contours and carvings embedded into those little crannies of rock.  
  
"Squall, can we go in?" she asked him, never averting her gaze from the awesome cathedral.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Squall added as he walked into the church. "You want to say some prayers? Or perhaps offer some candles on the altar." He pointed to a little table with a depression that hand candles lit all over its surface.  
  
Rinoa fished out a few Euros from her pocket and placed them inside a little slot beside the table. Taking a candle from a box beside the money collecting device, she lit the wick by placing the little light close to one of the flickering flames and set it on one of the stands. 'Heavenly Father,' she silently prayed in her mind. 'It is truly wonderful to see how you've been working my talent all these years to make me play music so beautifully. But please, whatever it takes, allow me to play my Strad again in public. Please help Sir Laguna, o gracious Lord, remove whatever evil forces remain in that sacred instrument. And that is all I have to say to you. Oh, and I pray that You make Squall like me too! I mean, like- like me!'  
  
After finishing her prayer, she returned to Squall who was now sitting on a bench and tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm done!"  
  
Squall stood up and followed her out of the church. "So what did you pray for?"  
  
Rinoa grinned really wide and said, "Well, I thanked God for my wonderful talent and I also prayed for something else."  
  
"Oh? What was that other thing?" Squall questioned her as they walked on the Milanese cobblestone streets. 'I wonder if she prayed for me to like her. She doesn't have to though...'  
  
Rinoa smiled and blushed and softly told Squall, "Well, it's a secret. I can't tell you that just yet."  
  
"Whatever. A secret's a secret so I'll leave you to that. Anyway, do you like shopping?" Squall was secretly hoping that he could somehow tell her how he truly felt them. 'Maybe she's not interested in me after all...'  
  
'He didn't ask?' Rinoa wondered. "Well, I'm a girl so I'm supposed to like it right?"  
  
Squall and Rinoa strolled around until they reached the Galleria Vittoriale Emmanuele, a nineteenth century structure turned mall covered in glass. Boutiques and restaurants littered the place, and Rinoa drooled at the gorgeous designer dresses displayed on the windows of the great names of fashion.  
  
"You need a dress for tonight right?" she heard Squall say while she spotted an adorable Fendi outfit.  
  
"Huh?" she muttered as she looked back at Squall.  
  
"You're accompanying me to see an opera, and you told me that you didn't want to come to La Scala wearing your sweater and jeans. So why don't you let me buy you something to wear?" he offered to the violinist who blushed maroon again.  
  
Rinoa turned pale and then red and back again and looked at Squall guiltily. "Squall! You know I can't do that! We're just acquaintances, not dates! (Although I wish we were) I won't feel good about spending your money for my clothes. I tell you what, we go to one of these shops and I'll try some stuff on and you tell me what you like. Does that sound alright?"  
  
'Just acquaintances? I don't treat acquaintances to lunch like that and talk to them the way I talk to you Rinoa.'  
  
Squall was about to say something when Rinoa stopped him. "No Squall. I'm spending for my dresses. I make my own money and I guess I can afford a nice Fendi so don't say anything or I'll protest here in the gallery."  
  
Squall gave a nod and defeat and complied by following her to the Fendi boutique. After Rinoa picked out a beautiful blue evening dress, she entered one of the dressing rooms. A few minutes later, after a few zips and a couple of tucks, she came out of the little cubicle and presented herself to Squall. "Well, what do you think?"  
  
Squall's mouth dropped about an inch as he stared at the extremely beautiful woman in front of him. Her wonderful body was curvy in a most pleasant way and her creamy shoulders were covered in a shawl. Although her makeup was minimal, to say the least, she was even more beautiful than all the models who had their faces posted in the Galleria's shopping windows.  
  
"Well, Miss Heartilly, you sure...look...beautiful in that dress," Squall managed to say. He didn't notice that his palms were sweating like mad and that his gaze never strayed away from the violinist's to die for body.  
  
"Why thank you Squall," she almost whispered happily as her body flushed with heat. 'Did he say that I looked beautiful? Oh thank you Lord for answering my prayers!'  
  
When she returned to the dressing room, Squall approached the store lady and curtly asked, "How much is that dress that she was trying out?"  
  
"Four hundred and fifty Euro," the woman informed him with a strong Italian accent. "Why, are you buying for your girlfriend?"  
  
Squall paused for a moment and gave the lady his credit card. "Yeah, I am buying for my girlfriend." After the lady quickly registered his card and he signed the credit slip, she gave him back the card and gave him a wink. "Your girlfriend must be lucky to have a nice boyfriend like you."  
  
Squall just smiled and said, "Yeah..." 'I wish she was my girlfriend though.'  
  
When Rinoa came out of the dressing room, she approached the lady on the counter and asked, "How much does this dress cost?"  
  
The woman gave her a wicked smile and replied, "Signorina, there is no need to give me money no more. Your nice boyrfriend over there has just given me money for that lovely dress you want. If you ask me, you should marry him. He's such a nice man." The lady placed a large Fendi boutique bag on the counter and gave it to her.  
  
Rinoa blushed heavily and said, "Oh! Thank you! But he's not my boyfriend..."  
  
"And I speak like an American," the lady sarcastically rebutted her in a strong accent. "Well if the both of you like each other, you should tell your friend. I think he likes you, and he is handsome boy too. If you want him, get him before the other figlias (girls) out there do." "Alright, I'll give it a try," she whispered back to the woman. She flashed Squall one of those "Why did you do that?" looks and smiled at the lady on the counter. After taking the bag, she moved rapidly towards Squall, who was comfortably sitting on one of the couches in the shop. "Squall, why did you buy this dress for me? I told you not to spend any more big money for me today. Do you even know how much this costs? Four hundred fifty Euro! That's about five hundred Dollars! Squall, I know you meant well but when I say that you shouldn't spend for me, I meant it. "  
  
"But I wanted to buy you something, even if it's just a dress. Come on, I know you wanted it. I'll tell you what. As friends, let it be my treat. I can't stand just being acquaintances with you so let's call this a friend's gift for another friend okay?" he said while offering her a hand.  
  
'Friends?' Rinoa wondered as she extended her hand. "Well, I don't know what to say. Thank you Squall. Just let me treat you the next time okay? I earn money through my concerts so at least let me buy you something."  
  
"Deal."  
  
They left the shop and after an hour of touring around Milan, they headed back for La Scala Opera House. After arriving at the library, Squall took a book from one of the shelves and gave it to Rinoa. "Here. I'm sure you will like this."  
  
Rinoa received the book and looked at the title—"Masters of the Violin". "Thank you Squall. So I'll see you tonight?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"But, um, where should I change?"  
  
"Oh, that one. Well you can come to my office and change there."  
  
"Okay then. See you later."  
  
"Bye."  
  
---------------------------  
  
The moon brightened the skies with its warm, ethereal glow, the rays of the white heavenly body shining down upon Milan's semi-modern streets that reflected back its beautiful light. Tonight, La Scala was showing the season's premiere of Giacomo Puccini's famous Chinese-inspired Grand Opera, Turandot. Outside the theater, an enthusiastic crowd lined up with their tickets waiting silently for the doors to open. Above the communal area, a man stared at them through a small window overlooking the front foyer.  
  
"Squall, no peeking okay?" he heard someone say behind him as he watched the number of people build up below.  
  
"Okay," he replied with a chuckle. Rinoa had come into his office earlier taking her blue dress with her. Since the bathroom was accidentally locked (or was it) and there was no other place to change, she decided to get into her evening dress right in the middle of the office.  
  
"I'm done Squall. You can turn around now," she whispered behind him.  
  
Squall turned around and looked at Rinoa. "Why, you look even more beautiful now than you did when you were in the shop my lady."  
  
Rinoa smiled wryly and smartly said, "Well Mr. Leonhart, I think it is so because it's already evening. That must be why they call them evening dresses."  
  
Squall extended his arm to her. "Shall we?"  
  
Rinoa nodded and followed Squall to the second floor doors adjacent to the private boxes of the main auditorium. When Squall entered his private box, he motioned for Rinoa to sit down.  
  
"I don't know if you enjoy opera but I guess you will like this one. They will be flashing English subtitles on the top of the stage so I hope that helps," he informed her. Rinoa gave an affirmative grunt and they waited for the opera to commence. The auditorium below was already starting to fill up with people, and a few boxes across, Squall noticed a woman waving at him. He waved back and motioned for her to come over.  
  
A few minutes later, the door to their box opened and a middle-aged lady in a black dress came in. "Squall! So good to see you!"  
  
Squall stood up and shook the woman's hands. "Doctor Kadowaki, so good to see you here!"  
  
"Squall, I must admit, you've outdone yourself again this time. Your sets are just amazing, and the designers you've commissioned to make these costumes are excellent. If I should say, you've brought bigger crowds to La Scala ever since it reopened," she congratulated the younger man. "To be honest, your sets are so much better than the ones in the Chicago Lyric and Metropolitan Opera Houses."  
  
"Why thank you Doctor, that's very kind of you," Squall thanked her. He then remembered Rinoa and decided to introduce her to the doctor. "Doctor Kadowaki, this is, by the way, the famed violinist Rinoa Heartilly." He pointed over to Rinoa and the doctor shook her hand as well.  
  
"Are you THE Rinoa Heartilly? The one who plays the Seduzione violin?" she asked the young girl.  
  
"Yes Madame," Rinoa politely returned.  
  
"So glad to meet you! Are you Squall's girlfriend?" she asked the young lady.  
  
Rinoa blushed for the nth time that day and said, "Oh no, we're just friends." She saw Squall laughing behind Doctor Kadowaki and threw him an annoyed look.  
  
"Friends...as Squall would often say, whatever. Oh well, I'll just leave both of you soon to be lovebirds here," the Japanese woman said as she left the room. "I'll see you later. The opera's starting in fifteen minutes and my husband is waiting. By the way Miss Heartilly, if you're looking forward to one of Squall's operas, you should see his Aida. It's magnificent!"  
  
When the doctor was back in her little hole, Squall turned to Rinoa. "Cheerful personality, don't you think?"  
  
"Yeah. She's from the U.S. right? I can tell from her accent," Rinoa told Squall.  
  
"Doctor Kadowaki is my dad's doctor who comes here every now and then to check up on him. Don't worry about him though, he's perfectly healthy," Squall added when he saw the look of shock on Rinoa's face. "She's a big opera fan and she comes here to La Scala to see the shows I produce when she gets the chance to do so."  
  
Neither of them said anything to each other until the lights of the auditorium dimmed slightly. "Squall, it's about to start," Rinoa whispered when the lights had completely dimmed and the crowd below had finally kept their silence.  
  
Immediately, the large, resonant boom of a Chinese gong signaled the beginning of the opera, and the curtains cleared to reveal a magnificent set displaying a stunning replica of China's Forbidden City. In the middle of the stage, a messenger began declaring to the crowd that was the chorus about the Princess Turandot's order—that the men who have enough courage to step up to her should pay the price of death for three riddles in exchange for her hand in marriage. The chorus' great voices echoed throughout the chamber, and the spotlight later shifted to the story's hero Calaf who approaches his long lost father. After exchanging words with the aging man, he finds the servant girl, Liu, who helped save him back in their homeland. Calaf thanks Liu, and then the bloodthirsty grand chorus began singing and pleading the executioner to bring out the man who had staked his life for Turandot.  
  
Pu-Tin-Pao, the executioner, emerged with a young man, the Prince of Persia, whose head was about to be cut off for his inability to correctly answer the princess' questions. Even though the crowd had been lusting for blood that night, the youth of the prince had appalled them, and so they began pleading for the princess for a pardon. The princess did come out, but instead of pardoning the prince, she signaled the executioner to cut his head off. The prince looked up at her with much pride in his eyes, and with one last look at the beautiful princess, his life was ended by the swift blade of the executioner. Calaf, who was watching this scene unfold before his eyes, was first angered at the princess' cruelty, but then saw her and immediately fell in love with her exotic beauty. He quickly ran up to the gong, and despite his father's attempts to stop him, he rang it, signaling for the princess to question him with the riddles. Although many had tried to convince him not to end his life, he persisted to conquer her ice cold heart, and that was the end of the first act, and the beginning of a thirty minute intermission.  
  
Rinoa sat on her comfortable leather chair with her mouth agape. "That was your set?"  
  
Squall edged uncomfortably in his seat. "You didn't like it?"  
  
Rinoa whirled to face him and said, "Like it? I loved it! It was so passionate and...and...so romantic! Imagine someone testing death for love! Squall, you produced this?"  
  
Squall nodded. "Yeah, why don't you believe me?"  
  
Rinoa chuckled and shook her head. "Of course I do. It's just that your set is so much better than the stage productions I've seen before. I haven't seen much opera but I've watched The Phantom of the Opera and Evita. I've even seen some Cirque du Soleil shows but this blows them all out of the water. Of course, the acrobatics aren't as excellent as Cirque's shows but this is singing combined with acting and some acrobatics."  
  
"So you like it?" Squall skeptically asked her.  
  
"Yeah, of course I do. I'm not the opera buff but this kind of set would change my mind. Your Chinese palace looks so...so real! And the costumes, were they made of silk?"  
  
Squall grinned mischievously at the lady beside him. "What do you think?"  
  
Rinoa's jaw dropped and she exclaimed in a silent whisper, "No kidding! That must have cost you a lot!"  
  
Squall shook his neck left and right and replied, "It did but it isn't like those costumes aren't reusable. Besides, if this Turandot set becomes a success, I plan to take them around on a world tour."  
  
"A world tour?" Rinoa queried him. "Isn't that a bit ambitious for an opera?"  
  
Squall paused for a moment to think and answered, "It is, but remember that the 2008 Olympics are being held in Beijing. What I plan to do is to take them there and let loose their voices in the opening night."  
  
"Sounds grand Squall. Um, do you think I can play as first violin in La Scala's orchestra when that happens?" she questioned him.  
  
"Why first violin? You can be a soloist! I promise, I'll set a date for your performance. Just make sure that you're ready with some pieces. Besides, if you are coming with me to Beijing to see that production, I want you to be by my side watching," he told the beautiful violinist.  
  
Rinoa gave Squall a heart-stopping smile. "Oh thank you Squall. Don't worry, I won't disappoint you! So, how many minutes left before the second act?"  
  
Squall looked at his watch and returned, "Five more minutes, give or take."  
  
Rinoa nodded and returned her gaze to the stage. Exactly five minutes after Squall looked at his watch, the lights dimmed again, and this time, the curtains were drawn to reveal a beautiful princess wearing a costume made of gold silk. She told her story of her ancestress, about how she died at the hands of a man, and thus revealing to Calaf why she detested all men. She then asked him the riddles, which Calaf answered impeccably of course. The people rejoiced at the prospect of having the princess marry, but the woman's heart of ice had not melted yet. Calaf then told her that if she was able to discover her name by dawn, he will comply with her wish to execute him.  
  
The stage darkened, and once again they were outside in the Imperial City. A chorus began declaring the new order of the princess to get everyone to discover his name if they wanted to avoid death. Calaf emerged from the darkness and began singing his signature aria.  
  
"I know this!" Rinoa exclaimed in a whisper. "This is Nessun Dorma!"  
  
Squall whispered to her, "And you said you didn't know much about opera."  
  
"But I know this one! Pavarotti sang this in the world cup right?" she silently asked him.  
  
"Yeah, you're right about that one."  
  
After the last, hair-raising note by the heroic tenor, the scene switched to the crowd that had now closed in upon Liu and Calaf's father, Timur. Since they(the people) had seen them talking with Calaf earlier, they decided to coax the two to spit out the prince's name. The chorus vented their rage on Liu first, and the guards tortured her in hopes to get Calaf's name out. Liu, who was suffering all this time, was brought before the princess. Before she ended her own life, she told the princess that she had to love the prince, for Liu had loved him silently and for that, she decided to trade her happiness for death. Taking a knife from one of the guards, she stabbed herself and fell on the Prince's feet.  
  
Squall noticed Rinoa crying softly and handed her a napkin. She didn't blush, but she took it anyway and mouthed a silent thank you to Squall.  
  
Upon Liu's tragic death, the crowd immediately cleared up and Calaf approached the Princess. After telling her that he would conquer her, he opened the veil that covered her face and kissed her. Turandot then exclaimed that never before had she felt anything so wonderful. He then decided to tell her his name, but instead of taking the Prince to Pu-Tin- Pao, she brings her to her father and declares that she knows his name. It is Love. They kiss and the people rejoice, ending the grand opera with the grandest of endings.  
  
Upon that last note, the audience all stood up and gave the singers, the orchestra, the conductor, and everyone else who participated in the production a well-deserved applause and an ovation to add to that. Squall and Rinoa silently left the auditorium while the people below were clapping and went to Squall's office.  
  
"Squall, that was wonderful. Thank you," she shyly told him.  
  
"I'm the one who should be thanking you," Squall replied. "Thank you Rinoa for coming with me tonight. You made it really special for me."  
  
Rinoa blushed and whispered, "Oh Squall, stop it."  
  
Squall laughed out loud. "Sure. Now, you have got to change back into your sweater and jeans. You don't want to go to the train station looking like that."  
  
"Yeah. Um, Squall, I'm gonna change so will you turn around?"  
  
Squall blushed and turned around. When she was done, they both took the backstage exit of the theater and took a cab back to the station. After boarding the train back to Cremona, Squall guided Rinoa to their cabin.  
  
"Why don't you sit here beside me? The view at night is beautiful too," Squall offered as he took his seat on the comfortable sofa.  
  
Rinoa nodded and sat beside him. And once again, the train made another journey back to Cremona. Forty-five minutes later, the coach arrived at the station in Cremona, and Squall took Rinoa to his private garage. Upon the moment they entered the Ferrari, Rinoa rested her back against the leather seats of Squall's expensive car and felt the sandman working its magic of slumber on her nerves. Along the way to the estate, she fell asleep. Another half hour had passed and the Ferrari had finally arrived at the gates of the house after zooming through the now emptied streets of the city. When Squall stopped the car in front of the manor's entrance, he noticed that Rinoa was out cold. Shaking his head, he exited from his side and opened Rinoa's door. Lifting the woman in his arms, he struggled to open the knob of the door and set her down on the sofa in the front foyer.  
  
'I wonder what I'm going to do with you Princess,' Squall mentally told her as he got up the stairs. He walked to Rinoa's room and opened the door, his eyes widening when he discovered that it was locked.  
  
'Oh crap! Now where is she going to sleep? Hmm...' Squall returned to the foyer and picked up the sleeping beauty into his arms. Slowly walking up the stairs so as not to wake her, he opened his room's door and put her down gently on his bed. Taking the blanket and putting it over her, he wished her a good night as he changed into a shirt and a pair of boxers.  
  
He crept silently into his side of the bed and turned off the lights.  
  
"Mommy..." he heard Rinoa whisper beside him. She turned around and unconsciously put her arms around his waist, burying her head in the warmth of his back. "Mommy, please don't leave me."  
  
'She's obviously dreaming," Squall thought when her arms wrapped tightly but comfortably around his waist. 'Better not wake her up though.' Squall picked up one of the hands that had managed to make its way around him and kissed it gently, stifling the cries coming out of the girl beside him.  
  
Squall was usually a light sleeper. For years, sleeping problems had robbed him of rest, yet for the first time in those years, Squall slept through the night comfortably. And he wondered, was it because of this girl?  
  
=======================  
  
Sorry this chapter took a bit long for me to write. I hope you guys like it and please submit a review if you do have the time. 


	8. Chapter 8: The Symmetry of the Strings

The Symmetry of the Strings  
  
Rinoa stirred slightly and inhaled the sweet morning air before waking up to the beautiful Italian morning. Sniffing slightly to smell the scent of dew...er...man? She thought she felt something firm yet somewhat tender as she began massaging her arms around the mystery pillow she was clutching to her chest.  
  
'Since when did the pillow get this big and firm?' she wondered. She smelled the lump in front of her, still keeping her eyes closed, and thought, 'Smells musky...oh no! Please don't let it be true!'  
  
Cautiously opening her eyes to see what was in front of her, she was surprised when she found herself resting her head against Squall's muscular back. Her eyes grew as large as watermelons and then...she screamed.  
  
"Squall! What am I doing here?" she demanded as she got off the bed dashed towards the other side of the room.  
  
Squall woke up from Rinoa's shrill scream and said, "Huh? Oh. You were asleep when we got here and I decided to bring you to your room. It was locked, so I had to let you stay here. I can't let you sleep in the couch you know."  
  
Rinoa felt like panicking. Here she was inside the room of the guy of her dreams and she was going nuts because she had slept with him last night. 'Rinoa! How could you refuse this!" "Squall, I am so sorry. Did I disturb you at all last night? I mean, I should have slept in the couch. I mean, didn't you find my key?" She was frantically searching for her key when it suddenly dawned to her. "Oh my gosh I left it inside my room! I'm really sorry Squall! Forgive me, but I was just so sleepy last night. I had a fun time but I think the jetlag's getting to me. Squall..."  
  
Squall approached her and silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. "Don't speak. I had a good time last night. And to be honest, I've never slept better in years."  
  
Rinoa felt her heart skip five beats. "You did?" she skeptically asked him. 'Oh gosh, he likes me, I think. I'm gonna melt! Help!'  
  
"I did," Squall affirmed with a nod. "And it's because you were there." He moved closer to her, almost pinning the girl against the wall.  
  
Rinoa knew that her heart wanted to break her rib bones and lunge out at Squall, but she had to control herself. "Squall, I'm sorry but...I have to go downstairs. I have to talk with your dad about my violin. Um, but thanks for last night. I had a really wonderful time." She opened the door behind her and sprinted towards Sophia to get a spare key, leaving Squall inside all alone.  
  
Squall shook his head and sighed deeply. 'At least she enjoyed last night,' he noted as he entered the bathroom to take his morning shower.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Squall and Rinoa came down together for breakfast, ignoring each other a bit to try to forget what had happened last night. An air of uneasiness also entered the room with them, and when they started picking out some of the wonderful breakfast pastries on the table, Zell suddenly asked a question.  
  
"Now what the hotdog is going on with the both of you?" he said after taking a bite of his bologna sandwich. "It's like, hello! Welcome to earth and snap out of it!" He waved a hand in front of Squall's eyes and stopped when Squall gave him the look.  
  
Ellone rested her chin on both her hands and purred, "Well...it seems that Rinoa and Squall had a wonderful time last night and somehow woke up on the wrong side of the BED." She winked at Rinoa and the violinist blushed like an apple.  
  
She gulped the apple pastry down quickly and said, "NO! It wasn't like that! Nothing happened between us!"  
  
Irvine chuckled and forked an ample amount of scrambled eggs into his mouth. "Yeah right! You guys were dating and I guess you forgot your key in your room. I saw you convincing Sophia to lend you the spares."  
  
"And I went to the kitchen last night and saw no one in the couch. Now where could you have slept last night? Oh yeah! All the guest rooms were locked!" Ellone evilly told them all.  
  
Selphie raised her hand and waved it back and forth. "Hey guys! I have a confession to make!" Everyone huddled around to hear her secret and she said, "I can talk to animals!"  
  
Seifer shook his head and said, "Yeah right, and I have two horns on my head."  
  
Quistis smiled at him and said, "You do, it's just not two though."  
  
Seifer whirled to face her and demanded, "Hey what does that mean?"  
  
Quistis happily took a sip of her juice and said, "It's a matter of life and gel."  
  
Seifer poked his gelled hair and felt all the spikes touching his palms. "Hey! Now that was sarcastic!"  
  
Selphie waved again and said, "Hello guys! Don't ignore me here! Like I said, I can talk to animals. Anyway, a bird flew to the window sill beside Squall's room and saw Rinoa clutching Squall's waist while they were asleep."  
  
Ellone winked at Squall and loudly said, "Aw! Now isn't that sweet? Squall has a girlfriend!"  
  
Zell joined in and soon the entire table was saying the "Squall and Rinoa sitting on a tree...K-I-S-S-I-N-G" rhyme in a very annoying, singsong manner.  
  
Rinoa blushed even redder and mouthed the words, "Squall, help me" to the guy whom she had slept with last night. Squall just winked at her and smiled.  
  
"Well what do you want me to do? Wake up Sophia and ask her for the keys? It was midnight for crying out loud!" Squall loudly blurted out suddenly silencing everyone else. "Besides, I can't let Rinoa sleep on the couch! That would be impolite."  
  
Ellone just smiled wryly and ate a grape. "Oh, what a gentleman!"  
  
Squall threw Ellone a dirty look and said, "Yeah, I am a gentleman."  
  
Ellone put both her hands on the table and inched closer to Squall. "Really? Then why didn't you treat our last lady visitor...Monica, I think...so well? Oh, I see. It's because you're in lo..."  
  
Squall suddenly took the liberty to jam her mouth with a slice of peach, shutting Ellone up for the moment. "Yeah, it's because I'm in l...limbo!"  
  
Ellone gulped down the peach slice and Zell asked, "Limbo? I thought you were going to say..."  
  
Squall irritably shot, "Oh shut up and eat a hotdog Zell."  
  
Everyone laughed and continued eating their breakfast and silence, but Ellone couldn't ignore the glances Squall and Rinoa kept stealing at each other. After finishing her food, she picked up her plate and was about to leave the room when she said, "Um, some of us came here a bit late so I guess the early birds have to leave the room to give SOME people a liiiitle bit of privacy." She left the room and fell into fits of laughter.  
  
Seifer and Quistis looked at each other. They shrugged and carried their plates to the kitchen as well. "Yup, some people want to be alone," Quistis mumbled audibly.  
  
"I agree," Irvine said, following everyone else. Rinoa was just about to pull him over and tell him not to leave them alone when Selphie jumped in front of Irvine and said, "Let's go talk to the animals!"  
  
Rinoa just sat back on her chair and shook her head, leaving her alone with Zell and Squall. Zell had just popped his last bologna sandwich into his mouth and said through a full mouth, "Well you know what they say, 'In Rome, do as the Romans do.'" He ensued with the leaving act and finally left Squall and Rinoa in the dining room. Alone.  
  
Rinoa poked mindlessly at her peaches with a fork. "So, I'm not done yet."  
  
Squall stared at his cold cuts and added, "Me neither."  
  
There was an awkward silence between them when Rinoa said, "Sorry about a while ago."  
  
Squall looked up from his food and cocked his head on one side. "Hmm?"  
  
"I shouldn't have blown you off this morning. I wanted to thank you for letting me sleep somewhere other than the couch," she sheepishly told him.  
  
"Nah! Don't even think about it. I'm sure you were just shocked to be sleeping next to a guy you barely know," he told her with a grin.  
  
"Maybe...then again, maybe it's because I like..." Rinoa stopped at the middle of her sentence and decided to shut up.  
  
"Like what?" Squall asked her. 'Does she like me?'  
  
Rinoa fidgeted with her fork and felt queasy. Her head had begun spinning but she was able to manage to keep her hormones in control. "I like sleeping...um...on...on...on beds!"  
  
Squall looked down at his plate in disappointment. "Oh."  
  
Rinoa edged around her seat uneasily. "So...after breakfast can we take a walk? Like in your private forest maybe?"  
  
Squall tilted his head slightly from its dreary position and he smiled at her. "Sure. Yeah, I'd like that."  
  
------------------------------  
  
Squall and Rinoa took a stroll in the woods behind the mansion. The scent of the saps of pine, spruce, birch, and maple perfumed the air with their dewy fragrance, allowing the wind to carry the smells of nature all over the estate. Up in those tall, tall trees, robins were flying, blackbirds nesting, and sparrows cuddling up in their round nest. In the forests below, two friends walked hand in hand exploring this untouched paradise in the Loire estate.  
  
"Rinoa..."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"When did you start taking up violin lessons?" Squall inquired the virtuoso violinist.  
  
Rinoa paused to think and answered, "I think I was about three when I started taking up lessons, and then I was sent by my mom to Italy to learn under the masters of the bow here at fourteen. Three years later, I went to Juilliard in New York and took master classes for two years, and Cid Kramer discovered me during one of the classes and had me perform a song, and I guess that was it."  
  
"Wow, you really are talented. Not many violinists can finish learning the instrument and master it at such a young age. So you're nineteen right now?" he asked her.  
  
She nodded her head and replied, "Nineteen and a half, to be exact. I'm turning twenty in a few months. What about you Squall? How old are you?"  
  
He smiled and began walking again. "I'm nineteen too, only that I'm turning twenty two months from now."  
  
Rinoa beamed and gushed, "So that means you're older than me!" She stopped smiling though when Squall gave her a skeptical look.  
  
"And what does older have to do with anything?" he questioned her. 'Is she thinking of something?'  
  
Rinoa blushed and thought, 'I was thinking that you could marry me...wait! Why am I thinking about marriage?' "Um, nothing! I was just surprised at how much older you are than me by...four months." 'Oh my gosh does he know?'  
  
Once again, there was an awkward silence between them, and they stopped by a couple of large rocks overlooking a pristine lake.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Squall asked while gazing from the scenery back to her.  
  
"Yeah..." murmured Rinoa as she took in the breathtaking view. Walking over to one of the rocks, she sat on the biggest one she could find and stared at the peaceful place. Squall soon joined her and tried looking for what she was staring at.  
  
"What are you looking at?"  
  
Rinoa turned to face him and gave him a lovely smile. "Everything. Everything is so peaceful...and beautiful." She sighed contentedly and rested her head against the soft moss.  
  
Squall then decided to become a bit more daring and placed his arm around Rinoa's shoulder. He could feel her muscles tense up a bit upon contact, but they eventually relaxed and she rested her head against his shoulder.  
  
"Squall..." Rinoa almost said in a whisper. "Have you ever loved a girl before?"  
  
Squall tilted his head so that it was leaning against Rinoa's. "Yeah...Ellone."  
  
Rinoa looked up at him and laughed. "No. Not that kind of love. I was talking about...you know, a girlfriend and boyfriend kind of love."  
  
Squall gave her the "Thinker" look and answered, "I actually did once, but this girl found someone else. I guess that's why I was so afraid of bumping into another one of these relationships."  
  
Rinoa smiled at him and brushed off one of his messy bangs off his forehead. "I don't think any girl should do that to you. You are such a wonderful guy, and..." she blushed before continuing, "...if only I had the chance to be that girl, I would look back at my mistake and give myself a slap on the head." Her heart was once again bouncing and running faster than the Energizer Bunny, electrifying her feet and hands and head. She could see dots in front of her eyes and felt like she needed...him...all of him.  
  
Squall grinned at her and mumbled, "You really would? (boy, that must have sounded stupid) I mean, would you? Right now? If I asked you that is." He looked deeply into her eyes and moved closer to meet her face.  
  
Rinoa shyly nodded and smiled at him. "Squall, I really would, and I promise, I won't leave you." Their lips were only inches away from their first kiss.  
  
"Rinoa, I...I...I don't know what to say..." Squall blurted out as his nose was literally a centimeter away from hers.  
  
Rinoa blinked her eyes and felt her heart ripping through her insides. "Squall..." she whispered passionately. Their lips were JUST about to meet when the both of them suddenly heard someone calling them from outside the forest.  
  
"Squall! Rinoa!" Zell called aloud as he looked for them while trying to wring himself free from the clutches of a bush's branches. "Laguna's looking for the both of you!"  
  
Squall reluctantly faced Zell and swore inwardly. 'Shit! Of all the times to come in and...' "Yeah what?!?"  
  
Zell found them and practically ran for cover as Squall advanced towards him. "Hey! It's not my fault! Your da was calling you for something important. What were you guys doing anyway?"  
  
Squall murmured, "None of your..."  
  
Rinoa interrupted him by saying, "We were just enjoying the forest. That's all. Has Dr. Loire found something about my Strad?"  
  
Zell smoothed his leaf-ruffled hair and ran towards them both. "Yup! I think he found something about the structure of your instrument. It's actually a bunch of scientific crap but I guess you should come to see what he has in the lab. Come on!" The blonde punk ran out of the forest, with Rinoa and Squall trailing behind him. Neither one spoke to each other until they left the vicinity of the sprawling trees.  
  
"Hey," Squall sexily called her.  
  
Rinoa smiled at him and said, "Hey."  
  
"So, we'll just continue this later okay?" Squall suggested.  
  
Rinoa nodded in agreement and replied, "I agree." 'Zell! If only I knew you long enough, I would have wrung your neck for ruining that moment!'  
  
---------------------------------  
  
As they entered the lab, Zell, Squall, and Rinoa took their seats on the wonderful, black leather sofa near the fireplace. A few minutes passed, and Laguna emerged from his laboratory carrying the Seduzione violin case along with a folder containing thick bundles of research material. Setting down the things on top of the coffee table, he sat down on the one-man sofa chair in front of the large, three-seater and flipped out some stapled sheets from the folder.  
  
"Rinoa, earlier during the day, I inspected your violin under a geometric analysis spectrum and found something rather unusual. Are you ready for whatever I'm going to be telling you?" the doctor inquired the violinist before giving her the results.  
  
Rinoa gave an affirmative 'mmph' before Laguna continued, "I'm not sure if you're familiar with the history of violin-making, as you simply play the instrument, but if you were able to study the design concepts of Strads, Guarnieris, Amatis, and other violins of the high Italian 17th century caliber, you might have studied somewhere that those violins are based on a pattern of circles symmetrically lined to produce a model that releases a most heavenly note. Do you remember Leonardo da Vinci's model of the Vitruvian man?"  
  
Rinoa cocked an eyebrow and skeptically asked, "The naked sketch of a man with multiple arms and legs?"  
  
Laguna snapped his fingers enthusiastically and began pointing it at her back and forth. "Yes! That's it! These violins were based of da Vinci's principles of symmetry. Just like the Vitruvian man, whose limbs are perfectly a mirror image of either side, the antique violins are like mirrors. No modern violin is perfectly symmetrical, even if they are machine made. Those great antique instruments, however, have both sides that are almost identical to each other. That is why these violins produce superior, rich sounds."  
  
Rinoa then questioned him, "But what does this have to do with my Strad?"  
  
Laguna took the case and set it once again in front of them on the coffee table. Taking another ancient-looking violin from a compartment underneath the sofa, he gave both violins to Rinoa and added, "Rinoa, if you may, please do try playing a note in one of these instruments. The other Strad first."  
  
Rinoa picked up the bow and pulled it gently over the strings. It produced a richly amusing tone that sent chills through her spine. It was an instrument of a rarely high quality—one that comes with Strads tracing their origins from the early 1700s. "It's beautiful Sir Laguna! But it isn't as rich as my Strad is it?"  
  
Laguna replied, "Ah, a violinist's trained ear indeed. You are right, the tones aren't as dark or seductive as your Seduzione. It certainly is a Stradivarius violin of an extremely high caliber, the ones produced from his workshop during the prime of his life. However, please do compare it with your violin."  
  
Rinoa lifted her own instrument from the table and ran the hairs of her bow along the G String. The difference was immediately noticeable. While the first Stradivarius produced a rich note of a beautiful, singing quality, her own Seduzione gave out one that lured listeners immediately to the depth of its dark, yet amazingly high qualities. Richness was not compromised as she played the instrument a few octaves higher, and that made her instrument seemingly creamier in sound.  
  
Laguna replaced his violin back into the compartment and said, "As you might know, no two Strads are similar to each other. However, the sound given out by most of the master's instruments usually give tones similar to the Cremona Dolphin you were playing earlier."  
  
Rinoa gasped, "That was the Dolphin? THE Dolphin? You must be joking right Sir Laguna?"  
  
Laguna chuckled and replied, "Apparently, I'm not. That was the Dolphin and I bought it from one of the dying patrons who owned that Strad. Going back to the matter of your instrument however, let me add one more detail I forgot to leave out. While most of the high-end violins produced by the great Italian masters were at least 99.2% symmetrical, only one violin was pronounced to be perfect in every sense. That violin was thought to have been lost in a fire in a colonial billionaire's mansion in Hampton, New York about a century ago, apparently, it is lying in this very living room at the moment—in your hands, Miss Heartilly. Your legendary Seduzione is the missing Stradivari violin. Although I believe your patrons may have acquired it through some unknown means where the instrument was mistakenly sold twice the seven to ten million dollar mark given for such sacred relics, that instrument was never meant to be given at such a paltry amount of money. Being a violin maker, I would say that your instrument should rather be sold at the low, low price of one hundred million dollars. I should say, that was the very violin Paganini used to compose his haunting 24 Caprices."  
  
Rinoa felt like a lead weight had just been dropped into her stomach. "But sir...I cannot give this violin back to the authorities! This has been in my family for years," she pleaded the professor.  
  
"Don't worry Rinoa. I won't report this case to the police. I don't think it is necessary to do that after an obsolete hundred year case right? And besides, you weren't the first person to be able to use that Strad," he said with a sad look on his face.  
  
"What do you mean Sir?" she asked the depressed-looking doctor.  
  
"Your mother Julia, she was the first woman ever to brandish that beautiful violin in one of her even lovelier recitals. I was a young man back then, and two of my friends led me to the theater urging me to watch this wonderful woman playing the violin. I had studied the instrument already by that time, but it intrigued me to be able to see what this talk of the town violin had in it. When I saw your mother playing that violin, I sort of fell in love with her, literally. I later entered her backstage room and brought her some flowers, congratulating her for a wonderful performance. We talked for a few hours and then, I believe, as some would put it, it was love at first sight. I was in love with her, and she with me. I would take her around Milan, bringing her to the most romantic spots in the city, and we would often stay out for hours just talking outside the steps of the Duomo in the middle of the night. One day, I had to leave for the United States because of some business and I vowed to return to her and marry her," he narrated to them all. "I returned about two months later learning that another man had whisked her away. Although she left me, I still knew that somehow, she loved me. Secretly, she had wanted to become a singer, and I was able to encourage her to pursue her dreams. A year later, while I was in Milan eating at a café with some friends, I heard this most beautiful song blasting out of the radios. "Eyes on Me" they called it. She even recorded it in Italian, and I think they called it "Gli Occhi sur Me" , and when I realized that the song was sung by her, and after listening to the lyrics, I somehow knew that she was singing about us. It was then that I regretted leaving her. I could never hate her though. She was too precious for me to hate. Eventually, I found someone else, but no matter how the world turns around, your mother took a special place in my heart that only two women could have occupied—my wife and her. Rinoa, I would never bring that violin to the authorities. It holds too many memories to be chucked at those inexperienced people."  
  
Rinoa listened to his story and said, "I see. Thank you Sir Laguna. I'm sure my mother was happy while she was still with you."  
  
Laguna chuckled half-heartedly and said, "I hope so. Oh well, I think that's all for today. Rinoa, I'm not yet done with your violin so please give me some more time."  
  
Rinoa complied with his request and gave him back the Seduzione. Laguna ruffled her hair gently as a father would and sighed, "I'm sure Julia would have been proud of you if she had seen you now. You remind me of her in many ways, Rinoa. I just hope Squall here finds someone as wonderful as you."  
  
Squall and Rinoa looked at each other and almost laughed, but decided not to because of Laguna's unusually depressing mood. He bid them goodbye and slowly returned to his laboratory.  
  
Squall raised an eyebrow when Zell had also gone in and asked Rinoa, "Your mother and my father dated?"  
  
Rinoa grinned and said, "I guess that's what it looks like."  
  
Squall moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I don't know about destiny but can we continue where we left off?"  
  
"I'd love that," she purred while sitting right beside him. Rinoa inched closer to Squall and was just about to kiss his lips when Quistis entered the room.  
  
"Squall! Rinoa! Hi! So like, we were planning to take a day trip to Bergamo and we were wondering if you wanted to come and...oh my gosh what are you guys doing?" she exclaimed when she realized that they were about to kiss.  
  
=======================  
  
Busted! Or not? Please read and review as always and enjoy the story. How are you liking it so far? 


	9. Chapter 9: The Day Trip

The Day Trip

Their hidden passions were searing into each other's lips, his intense infatuation for her boring into her soul. She held on to his arms, wishing that this play of emotions would never end…that is until a loud voice interrupted the light of the moment.

"Squall, Rinoa, we were thinking about going on a day trip to Bergamo and…oh my heavens, what are the both of you doing?" echoed the loud, unmistakable voice of Quistis Trepe. "Hah! I was right, the both of you are in love!!!" she exclaimed with an air of victory.

Rinoa abruptly pushed Squall off her, pulling out one of his eyelashes thus causing Squall to scream in pain. "Ow! What the…?" Squall painfully retorted.

"Uh…" Rinoa said while shifting her gaze from Squall to Quistis. "Squall had a speck of dust in his eyes and I tried to pull it out."

"Yeah, and I'm one stupid blonde. That was obviously a kissing scene back there! Don't give me any of your excuses! I know a kissing scene when I see one! But don't worry, I won't tell anyone, that is if I can keep my mouth shut!" she told them with a wink.

Rinoa tried to protest but Quistis immediately stopped her. "Ah ah! I didn't come here to argue. I came here to see if you wanted to come with us to Bergamo for that day trip. So, what do you think? And by the way Squall, your dad was planning to be the tour guide since he had been to that city so many times. What do you think?"

"Well…uh…yeah. We'll join you in the car in how many minutes then?" Squall innocently asked her.

Quistis checked her watch and answered, "Well, we're leaving in about 30 minutes so you can take your time doing what you want to do." She grinned mischievously at them and left the room before Squall and Rinoa had a chance to rebut anything she just said.

When they were finally alone Rinoa slumped on the sofa and puffed a sigh of relief. Squall inched closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "What did you do that for?" he asked her.

Rinoa turned to face him and wondered, "Did what?" Squall pointed to his eyelashes and she suddenly widened her eyes and said, "Oh! I'm so sorry Squall but I got nervous and…"

Squall put two of his fingers on her mouth to shush her. "Ok, I understand but don't pull my eyebrows again ok?" Rinoa nodded and he continued, "Now, about that day trip. Bergamo is a really nice place to go if you want to see some nice old churches and gorgeous medieval towers. Plus, there's a place where we can get some nice gelato too. So, what do you think?"

Rinoa slowly pulled Squall's fingers away from her mouth. "I'm up for it, but I don't have a camera."

Squall smiled and said, "Rinoa, my dad has some of the best cameras in his lab. You may go and choose any one of them that you feel would take the best pictures and my dad would not mind at all." He smiled at her while wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her closer to his chest."

Rinoa felt dizzy and inched even closer to Squall. "Thank you Squall…I'll do that." Her eyes began to flutter and she fell into his arms unconscious.

Squall shook Rinoa lightly and whispered, "Rinoa. Come on, stop playing games with me." After a few seconds of gentle shaking, Rinoa moved. Her eyes fluttered slightly and she gazed into his ocean blue eyes. "Huh? What? Oh…Squall…I'm sorry, I have these dizzy spells sometimes."

"Ah. Well, we have about fifteen minutes to get there and don't forget that this is a big house," Squall informed her. "It will take us probably five minutes to get to the front door. Plus, I'm guessing that you want to choose a camera too so we'd better hurry so that we won't have to make them wait." He stood and pulled Rinoa up from the leather couch.

Together, they left the room and walked a considerable distance to the lab. As they drew nearer to the lab door, they heard Laguna and Zell talking loudly (very loudly) from the inside of the room.

"Wait! Oh you fool don't put that in there!" the voice of Laguna said from behind the door.

"What do you mean? This stuff is supposed to make it more viscous!" Zell exclaimed.

"Oh shut up! Give me the canister. Give it to me right now before you…oh crap!" ordered Laguna.

As they were just about to open the door, Laguna burst the door open rushing out with Zell following him from behind. "Watch out Squall!!!!!" Laguna screamed as a loud BOOM came from the bowels of the laboratory. Smoke engulfed the entire room as Laguna, Squall, Zell, and Rinoa reentered the now foggy area.

Squall coughed slightly and asked, "What were you doing here?"

Laguna removed the laboratory goggles he was wearing and did a fancy twirl with the instrument in his hands. "Just to clarify one thing…it didn't have anything to do with your violin," he told Rinoa while wiping the dust of his goggles.

Zell, short but proud-looking as always, marched in the center of the commotion and announced, "That's true Miss Heartilly! The good doc and I were experimenting on some kind of fruit-bases varnish and I accidentally added some kind of ionic compound into the stuff. And then…ah!" Zell began screaming in pain when Laguna suddenly held one of his ears and pulled Zell into one corner of the lab.

"Yeah, you put the ionic compound that would cause all this boom boom and bang bang to happen and what? You announce it to everyone! Goodness knows what our client will think when she knows that the two people she hired to examine her instrument were two bums who didn't know how to mix chemicals in a laboratory. And for heaven's sake you graduated from Princeton! Zell! Don't be such a numbskull!"

"Hey, how should I know that Chromium Chloride shouldn't be mixed into varnish? I've never worked with that stuff before!" he rapidly answered back.

"Well, if you looked into your chemistry books, which I'm sure are extremely sophisticated considering that you went to "Princeton", you would know that Chromium Chloride, when mixed with the substances found in the varnish I prepared would create and extremely volatile, explosive mixture! Why if I…" Laguna was saying until Squall interrupted him.

"Dad!!! Zell!!! Enough!!! I came here to borrow one of your cameras because Rinoa wanted to take pictures in Bergamo. And why aren't you ready yet? Aren't you supposed to be our tour guide?" Squall demanded of Laguna.

Laguna mindlessly replied, "Huh? Oh, about that trip, I won't be coming anymore. You can take the cameras, yes, but forgive me for not being able to come. I was working on one of the varnishes until our Princeton genius here accidentally tipped Chromium Chloride into the vat of sap varnish I was experimenting with. You might as well play my role for now Squall. After all, you've been to that city quite a few times haven't you?" Laguna opened one of the sleek, modern looking cabinets to reveal a myriad of cameras for Rinoa to choose.

Squall protested, "But dad, you promised to take us there."

Rinoa began browsing across Laguna's vast selection of amazing cameras while Laguna explained, "You see, I would son, but there's a problem. That vat was a very delicate experiment I have been working on for seven and a half days now. That is, until genius threw the forbidden chemical into the vat. I really need this for my experiments with Rinoa's violin and I really can't come because clients come before day trips. I'm sorry Squall, but I really wish I could come with you. It just so happens that Princeton graduates aren't very good in chemistry."

"Hey! I heard that!" echoed Zell's voice from the back of the lab. Laguna shook his head and continued, "Well, I have to get back to work now. The good thing is, I still have another vat of unadulterated fruit tree sap in the storage room, meaning I can take two to three days of tree sap collecting out of the schedule. Anyway, have fun and enjoy Bergamo. It's one of Italy's best cities."

Zell began running from the back of the lab while shouting, "Bergamo! Bergamo! Bergamo! Ooh!!! Can I come with them…ah!" Zell fell on his back when Laguna put his hand in front, making Zell trip and fall onto the floor.

"No Zell. You're failure is my failure, and I really hate failures. I may seem like the spontaneous kind of guy but when it comes to failures I get pretty serious, so no hanging out in Bergamo for today," he seethed through his teeth. He brightened up again and asked Rinoa, "So Rinoa, how's everything going? Have you picked a camera that you really like? Don't worry, it has no chromium chloride in it so there's nothing to worry about."

Zell gave out a muffled cry and Rinoa giggled frivolously. "Yes Sir Laguna, and thank you for the camera. But please forgive Zell. I mean, he's not as experienced as you are yet."

Laguna started again and began to say, "Oh, he's experienced all right! He finished second in his class, and that was an Ivy League! Or maybe Ivy Leagues are just airheads and…"

"That's enough dad. Come on Rin, let's go," Squall told Rinoa as he pulled her hand and darted out of the door with her.

Laguna shook his head, sighed, and told Zell, "Come on Zell, let's clean up that mess and start over again. I'll just start with the varnish tomorrow. I'll be checking with the sonics of Rinoa's violin."

Zell got up from the floor and wiped the dust of his coat. He made his way to the janitor closet and grabbed a couple of cleaning tools and went closer to the table with the spilt vat of varnish. Before he began to clean however, he took one of the chemistry books on the shelf and began flipping the pages until he reached the chemical compounds section. He searched the pages for chromium chloride until he found the compound.

"That is strange," he whispered to himself. "Chromium chloride is volatile, but it doesn't react with the substance in tree sap. I wonder…" He put the book back into the shelf and grabbed a microscopic slide. Taking a sample of the spilt varnish, he swabbed a drop of it onto the glass and brought it to the electron microscope.

Squall and Rinoa made their way out of the house to find Quistis and Seifer waiting outside. "Where's Irvine and Selphie?" Seifer asked them while Quistis winked at the approaching couple. Squall blushed slightly while Rinoa answered, "We didn't see them. Didn't you tell them about the trip?"

Quistis said, "We did, but they must still be preparing for it. Where's your dad Squall?"

Squall answered, "Uh, I'll be your tour guide for the day because he can't make it. He was initially going to come but he had to start over with an experiment of his."

"Oh," came the dry response from the blondes. A few minutes later, Selphie and Irvine arrived with a couple of bags.

"Sorry we're late guys!" Selphie cheerfully apologized. "So, where's Sir Laguna?"

Squall flicked his hand at Selphie. The perky brunette almost looked stunned when she confirmed with a gulp, "You, are taking us?"

Squall fished the car keys out of his pocket and pressed a button, causing a panel on the well-groomed lawn to open and a Peugeot van to come out as well. "Why, is there something wrong?"

Selphie shook her head and said, "No, I was just worried about you leaving us all alone while you go daddly doo out in the city with Rinoa…ouch!" she blurted out when she felt Irvine nudging her at the ribs.

Squall and Rinoa blushed and Squall answered, "Whatever. Get in the car." And everyone did, except that they took all the back seats, leaving the front seats to Squall and Rinoa. When Squall took the driver's seat, he faced the people in the back with a puzzled look and asked, "Ok, what's going on?"

All of them grinned sheepishly and said, "Nothing. We just thought that since we had more things than you and Rinoa did, we decided to take the space in the back."

Squall shook his head for the nth time that day and said, "Whatever." Rinoa entered the car and asked, "Squall, are we ready to go?"

Quistis winked at Squall and he gave out an almost inaudible sigh. "Yes we are Rinoa. Take your seat please." And with that, the gang was off to the Northern town of Bergamo.

Meanwhile, in the lab, Laguna was once again working on Rinoa's Sedizione. After rummaging through a ton of rarely used instruments at the back of the lab, he finally found a spectral analysis meter. After attaching two nodes of the device to the violin, he turned the machine on. His impatience got the better of him, of course, especially when the machine registered a flat feedback. "Zell! Come over here for a moment."

Not a moment too soon, Zell ran to the side of Laguna. "Ok, I know that you designed this spectral analysis meter, but I'm not sure if I'm working it right. Will you take a look at it for me?" offered Laguna as he gave Zell the machine.

Zell took the black device in his hands, examining the controls and the screen. "Uh, doc, I don't know why it's not working, but even if there aren't any ghosts in this room, the "lifeline" sort of thing on front should at least oscillate slightly. There is something very wrong with this thing."

Laguna rubbed his chin as he paced back and forth. He stopped for a moment beside the violin, stared at it, and said softly, "What if the violin is haunted?"

After two hours of driving around the lovely Italian countryside, Squall and company finally arrived at the base of Italy's beautiful mountain town of Bergamo. Parking the car beside one of the area's many hotel's parking spaces, he led the group to a tram that led to the town of Old Bergamo, a town completely different from its more modern counterpart below. Touched only with the technology of lighting and running water, with the addition of a few modern shops and food stops, the town still looked very much like the medieval town that it used to be a few hundred years ago. The streets were still bustling with Italians and tourists eager to see such a lovely, well-preserved city.

Squall first led them to the old church tower in the middle of the town square, a relic so beautiful and strong that it seemed to be impervious to the tests of time. The dark, cavernous walls of the edifice had been erected with the choicest stones and building materials that only made its structure seem invincible with each passing year. Inside, Squall walked through the catwalks of stone and wood, telling the group about its history and such and so.

"So, what do you think of the tower?" he asked them.

Quistis stared at the walls of the tower with much awe. Never before had she seen a structure so old, yet so beautiful. "All my life, I've lived in New York and I've never seen buildings last for more than five hundred years, but this is amazing Squall!" she exclaimed as she felt the cold stone walls.

Irvine held Selphie close to him and said, "I'm impressed Squall" in a very dignified manner. After a few hours of touring the city, along with a couple more tours of the old buildings and a half hour of their time spent on shopping, Squall decided to lead them to one of the city's many wonderful gelaterias.

"Ok, I know that gelato sounds like a strange name for ice cream, but personally, I think the gelato here is much better than most of the ice creams we get in America. First of all because it has more flavor, and second because it tastes so much cleaner and fresher, in my opinion. I think the ice creams from back home have too much cream and milk in them. I especially like the fruit sorbets," he informed them. "So, tell me which flavor you want and I'll order some of this stuff for you."

Selphie and Irvine went for the Straciatella, a creamy vanilla gelato swirled with chocolate, while Seifer went for the Tiramisu. After some very intensive deciding time, Quistis went for an order of More (Blackberry) sorbet, while Rinoa chose the Fragola (strawberry). Squall chose the Raspberry Sorbet for himself, and they all sat at one of the town squares benches, admiring the architecture of old. Fortunately for Squall and Rinoa, each bench held only four people, and before the two could occupy one of the benches, the other four immediately scrambled for one of the benches, leaving the two of them the option of one of the benches in a secluded area of the square.

When Squall and Rinoa took their seats, the other four began giggling silently to themselves. "Oh they look so sweet!" Selphie whispered to Quistis, Irvine, and Seifer.

"Oh quiet Selphie, they will find out that we're up to something if you talk this loud," Seifer mouthed to her. "But it's a good thing that this bench holds only four people," he continued after taking a lick of his Tiramisu gelato. "Mmm! This gelato's good!"

Quistis added, "Well, they do look good together, but I have to admit that it's a bit mean of us to exclude them like this. Do you think they suspect anything?"

"Nah. Rinoa's too naïve, but I guess Squall would be pretty pissed off at us if only he chose too. But I guess they're pretty oblivious to what we're doing," said Seifer.

Meanwhile, while they were talking, Rinoa and Squall were in the back, enjoying their moment together in Bergamo. They had already finished their gelatos, and Rinoa felt serene and peaceful watching the townspeople pass by. Squall put his arm around her shoulders, and slowly pulled her closer to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and spoke to him.

"Squall, I'm afraid," she said softly. "I don't know what to do anymore. This violin will ruin my life as a performer. I can't go on knowing that I will kill someone when I play my music."

Squall rubbed her back consolingly while telling her, "It's alright, don't worry about it now. My dad will take care of everything. That I can promise you. And since we're supposed to be relaxing today, you shouldn't worry yourself. Just enjoy Bergamo and we'll worry about your violin when we get back." He kissed her forehead lightly and saw a pigeon land in front of them. Breaking his cone into pieces, he offered the food to the bird. Rinoa smiled slightly and did the same with her cone. She then saw the four in the bench in front of them engaged in what seemed like a very interesting conversation.

"Say Squall, what do you think they're talking about?" she asked him.

Squall looked at them and wanted to laugh. He more or less had an idea that they were gossiping about him and Rinoa, but then he decided to make an excuse about it. After all, he didn't want another one of his eyebrows pulled off. "I guess they're talking about their gelato. I mean look at that," he told Rinoa while pointing at Selphie. "She has an empty cone on her head."

Rinoa laughed and said, "Oh Squall, I didn't know you could be funny at times."

"But I am funny," he answered back. "Well, at least I am sometimes."

Rinoa faced him with one of her warm smiles and said, "Yes you are, but I wish you could be less serious around other people. I mean, you shouldn't feel like La Scala's musical director at all times unless you're around me. You can only spend time with us for so long, and then that's it. You should at least enjoy the time that you get to spend with us."

"Well, yeah, but I'm pretty content being silent around others. Just think about what would happened if I opened to them like I did to you. They would start feeling goofy around me, and I can only go so far as being all nice and "Oh how do you do?" around other people. It's not like I don't want them to be all cute and "eeeh…" around me, but it just doesn't feel right to have a relationship like that with every person you meet on the streets" Squall said.

"I know Squall, but then, why did you so willingly open up to me then?" she inquired of him.

"You're different Rinoa. I feel like I could trust you more than I could other people."

"Squall, I just came into your life recently like they did. I am not more different than they are."

"But Rinoa, you don't seem to get it. It seems to me like I had already known you before."

"What do you mean Squall? I don't understand."

"I had a dream once Rinoa, that you were in the fields, and I was looking for you. I could vaguely remember the words that I had spoken to you before that, but then I do know that it was you in my dreams. We made a promise, don't you remember?" he told her while taking one of her hands.

"I…I've only met you now Squall. I don't know how this could have happened but…I don't know. I really don't know Squall. But…"

"But what Rinoa? Don't you feel the same way with me?" he asked her affirmatively.

"Well, I do, but I wouldn't know what to say about that dream. If I had already had it, I may have forgotten that I had dreamt of you. But if there is one thing I know, I care for you Squall, I really do. You have been so nice to me even though you met me only recently."

The both of them didn't notice Selphie taking their picture holding hands. Rinoa continued, "I wish there were more people like you Squall, people who don't let money and glory get into their heads. People who are down to earth and are willing to help others. Don't you think the world needs more of those people now?"

"Of course Rinoa, but you really think I'm one of those men?" he asked her.

"From seeing how you've been acting around others, yes I do think you are. Why do you think I've fallen in love with you?" came her very direct question.

Squall didn't know what to say, so he took the young woman in his arms and hugged her gently. "I love you too," he told her.

And that was all he told her as they all gazed at the beautiful sunset of Bergamo, holding Rinoa close to him as the townspeople passed by, the men bringing bread from the local boulangeria, the children running around with their little toys and cups of gelato, and the women with bags of groceries. Another day was over, and another was yet to come, but that day, Squall Leonhart never felt happier. He had finally found love.

I apologize to my readers that this chapter took long enough, but I my writing skills had been stagnant for quite some time. I hope you did enjoy this chapter, and do take the time to write a review for it. I have another story entitled Secrets in the Dark, and if you do have the time, read that one too. It follows the storyline of FF8 quite nicely, and it is very different from this one in the sense that it isn't an AU story. The next chapter will be entitled "The Paganini Letters"


	10. Chapter 10: The Paganini Letters

The Paganini Letters

The following morning, Rinoa woke up to the sound of the birds singing their songs of dawn on the vast Italian countryside. The trip to Bergamo had exhausted her, but knowing how Squall had felt about her was enough to keep her going through another morning of music, laughter, and investigations. Wrapping her long, slender arms in a wool shawl Squall had bought for her yesterday, she slowly dragged herself across the room towards the window. When she saw her reflection on the glass, she noticed the bags on her eyes.

'Dang, I should put some kind of cream or I might horrify Squall…Oh crap, why am I beginning to think about how I look?' she thought to herself when she realized that she was more or less beginning to be concerned about the way she looked. Something on the lawn though, caught her attention and diverted her thoughts away from the dark marks underneath her eyelids. It was Selphie and Irvine, playing tag early in the morning, in the Leonhart manor's vast expanse of billowing green lawn. The sight of the her friends running around uttering cheerful, childish remarks made her miss her childhood…that is, if she had one.

She slowly sank down on a beautiful, maroon silk upholstered pine chair that had been placed near the window. Resting her elbow on the windowsill, she began to reminisce those memories that had begun to creep its way back into her present state of mind. She was a child protégé after all, and if there was something that children like her rarely enjoy, it is the full bloom of a laughter-filled childhood. All day, if she could remember, she was cooped up in her room, a bow in one hand, a fiddle on the other, and a pile of scores arranged neatly in a table in front of her. Despite the fact that the music of the great composers brought much pleasure and beauty to the Heartilly household, Rinoa could never remember a single moment when she cherished cuddling into bed with a homemade doll, a mom-knit toy, or some childhood memento which other children would have bragged about. The most vivid memories of her younger days was seeing a note differently, that is, she never thought of each little mark on the score as a black dot signifying a certain point on the violin for the hand to press. Rather, she interpreted the string of notes as an emotion-brimming necklace of colours that the composer had set on paper. It was something that only a girl of her music caliber could have understood. And yet, she felt odd when she took the time to play outside with other girls and wondering what a Barbie was and how it would have been enjoyably girlish to start applying that strange, lacquer-like paint on your toes.

Her memories skimmed her thoughts to a few years later, and she began envisioning the world of her teenage years. She was crowned as her school's most promising musical talent, and Rinoa Heartilly was a household name in all the music loving folk in her town. She had worked with the best, attending master classes with Isaac Stern, getting tips from Itzhak Perlman, listening to the rarest of the rare material recorded from Sir Jascha Heifetz's collection of virtuoso works from his son's estate, and even talking to Yehudi Menuhin in London about perfecting the technique of pizzicatos. She had worked with Sarah Chang on her vibrato, with Kyung Wha Chung on the perfection of an adagio timing, and she had performed on recitals throughout the state. Suburbia talked about her, the urban setting gossiped about her latest achievements. But when girls her age began giggling about liking boys or wearing the most fashionable imports in school, she felt left out, and once again returned to her little room to practice the art of the bow. She had longed for a childhood, and never had one simply because she was brilliant. She didn't know how to act around men, and her style was almost Spartan. If it weren't for the gay friends who adored her art and wooed her to go onstage on this gown or that shawl, she would have looked like a mess. She had learned though, and could at least pull off a decent appearance in public. The queer designers in New York had lauded her natural beauty and her delicate features, and created only the most ravishing dresses for her in concert. She had even received tips from the houses of fashion in the big cities that she visited during her tours, and with these she had learned how to walk outside the house without having some random paparazzi fool painting some inane fashion barrage on her choice of couture.

Her morning daydreaming was just about to continue on to her days in music college when a loud voice was heard echoing off in the hallways.

"MERDA! PER GRAZIA DI DIO!" The voice sounded very familiar, and a crashing of what sounded like ceramics and glassware followed the great boom. Rinoa walked out of her room and found Squall walking about talking to himself while holding some tabloid-sized newspaper in his hands. Beside him was a very distressed-looking Sophie who had just dropped a tray of coffee-filled china on the floor.

"Pieta, signore (please sir), you must keep your voice down, some of your guests are still sleeping," she explained while trying to pick up the broken pieces of China.

Squall knelt down hurriedly and frantically (and quite angrily) picked up the rest of the shattered cups and helped place it on the tray. "You don't understand Sophia. I am on the tabloids! Look!" He flung the newspaper on top of the tray.

Sophia grimaced at Squall and lifted the tray off the floor. "You men are so strange. You like someone and you don't even like kissing pictures. Why, if I were you I will cut that out and frame it near my wall!" she said in her thick Italian accent while cackling on the way down. "Now no more shouting or I'll drop another pot of good coffee. Good thing the carpet has no stain."

Rinoa had been staring at Squall all this time and heard Ellone come out of her room. "Squall, do me a favor and shut up. It's still 11AM in the morning my goodness. What…ooh…minus points for you," Ellone told Squall when she saw Rinoa standing in the hallway.

Squall irritably pointed at her door and firmly said, "Go back to your room and sleep."

Ellone giggled and mumbled, "Gladly."

Squall hurriedly approached Rinoa while keeping the paper away from her view. "Did I wake you up Rinoa?" He was careful only to hold her hands in his, all the while looking at her tenderly.

Rinoa attempted to snuggle closer to Squall and hugged him. "No, I was already awake. But why did you scream like that? I thought something had happened. You worried me back there."

Squall blushed for a moment and said, "Ah, it was nothing. Just some crazy paparazzi doing their usual crazy stuff with their cameras. You know how those people are." He gently played with her black hair while placing the folded sheet of paper carefully in his pocket.

"Can I see it?" she asked him with puppy dog eyes.

Squall couldn't help but feel his heart lurch and said, "Um, I don't know if you want to."

"Oh, of course I want to Squall! I don't know what would make you blush but can't I just peek at the photo?" She looked too innocent for Squall to refuse her, but once again he tried to resist her eyes.

"Rinoa…" However, he failed to notice her arms circling around his jacket. 'Damn Squall! I can't believe you allowed a woman to play with your head!'

Too late. She had found the tabloid and opened it to reveal a very candid, stylish, professional-looking black and white picture of her and Squall kissing in what looked like the square in Bergamo. "Where did this come from?" Rinoa asked him in a monotone voice that almost worried him.

"Rinoa…" he whispered softly, trying to prevent some unknown celebrity insecurity disaster from happening.

"Can I keep it?" she suddenly said, giving Squall a most alluring smile.

"Uh…Rino…" he tried to say.

"I'll keep it!" she exclaimed with a smile before planting a kiss on Squall's lips and hopping back to her room with the article.

Squall clapped his hand to his forehead and shook his head. 'Ayayay…someone's going to have to do some damage control.'

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An hour later, everyone had gathered in the breakfast room, and this time there was a marvelous breakfast pasta dish served on the table. It was an egg, pancetta, and garlicky concoction with the most sensual fragrances and flavors that could have easily dragged even the sleepiest morning hater out of the bed and into the table.

Laguna was whistling a tune when he came in and noticed that Rinoa looked happier than usual. "Rinoa, why I think I've never seen you so happy! Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Rinoa sighed and answered, "I just love the morning today. Everything seems so perfect…"

With that, Selphie took her cue and suddenly coughed out, "…and "loverly"…"

Laguna raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "Are you ok? I have some lemon lozenges if you want some."

Selphie and Quistis giggled and said, "Oh no, I think Selphie got a bit of pasta in her windpipe and…er…is alright now."

Laguna, still looking at the both of them skeptically, didn't even bother to question the both of them. He turned back to Rinoa. "But why so? This morning's just like yesterday morning, except a bit cloudier. What is so perfect about it?" He couldn't help but notice on the corner of his eye that Squall was turning very red.

Rinoa placed her fork on her plate and smiled, exchanging a short glance with Squall. "I think it's because…I really can't explain it Sir Laguna." Irvine and Zell were now joining Quistis and Selphie in their silent giggling game.

Laguna looked at Squall, seeing that his son was now absent-mindedly twirling an immensely huge amount of pasta on his fork. "Squall, I didn't know you could put that much pasta in your mouth. I know you love to eat son, but it isn't exactly very easy to fit that much food into your lips. You aren't Zell."

Zell grimaced at Laguna before returning to his plate, this time gathering dainty amounts of pasta onto his fork. Laguna had gone back to talking to Squall. "Are you alright son? You're quite red."

Squall stopped twirling and gulped the food in his mouth. He drank a bit of water and told Laguna, "Uh…yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm okay…today."

Laguna sat back and sipped his juice. "You and Rinoa are acting strangely. I really don't understand the both of you."

Sophia suddenly interjected, "It's La Giorno Musicale (The Musical Day, a tabloid with news about music) signore. Your boy can tell you what is happening but I think he's too embarrassed, so I'll give you copy."

Squall quickly looked up from his plate and said, "There's no other copy!" He looked to Rinoa and she pointed up to tell him that it was in her room.

Sophia laughed and took out a new copy from her apron. "Signore Squall, I always have another newspaper in the cucina (kitchen), so don't tell me I don't have copy because I have a good one without crumples."

Laguna took his glasses out and started reading the entire front page with Squall and Rinoa's huge caption blown up on the front page. "Ooooh…I think someone's in love!"

"Dad!" Squall seethed through his teeth. He was now beet red. Rinoa looked a bit flustered as well and gulped down an entire glass of water in a matter of seconds.

"Oh come on Squall, sometime in your life you are supposed to fall in love, and I am glad that it's Rinoa!" Rinoa couldn't help but give Laguna one of her beautiful smiles. "Why, if it were any other girl, maybe I would be skeptical at first but you have such a darling girlfriend!"

Squall felt like he wanted an anvil to fall from heaven and drop on Laguna's head. What Laguna said next wanted him to change that anvil into an elephant. "Besides, both of you look nice together, and it would be really nice if the paparazzi were to take more pictures of the both of you hand in hand or kissing because you look amazing on camera with her."

Selphie suddenly raised her hand, tired from laughing, and daringly said, "Oh no Sir Laguna, it wasn't the paparazzi who took that. I actually did and sent the picture immediately to the Bergamo office of the newspaper."

Laguna's eyes widened and he happily exclaimed, "Why that was a brilliant idea Selphie! But how did you know that you ought to use La Giorno Musicale?" Squall decided to change the elephant to an oil tanker. He turned to Selphie and noticed the annoying flip of her hair. 'Where is a torch when you need one?'

"I saw a lot of issues in Squall's office," she gleamed at everyone, especially Squall.

"Next time you should take more pictures and I'll make sure it reaches Time Magazine!" Laguna obnoxiously suggested. "And then I'm sure we'll make the headlines! I can see it now! 'World's Greatest Opera House's Director in Love with Great Violinist!' Beautiful! We should even go for Newsweek!"

'I wonder if there's anything heavier than an oil tanker,' Squall thought. 'And maybe I should confiscate cameras from the guests next time.' "Okay okay, you all made your point with the fucking picture, BUT WILL EVERYONE PLEASE SHUT UP ABOUT THIS!" he bellowed out, his anger immediately silencing everyone in the room.

An awkward quiet filled the entire room as the flames of Squall's temper died down. Laguna looked the most stunned of all, and he quickly chewed on the pasta that had been in his mouth when Squall flared off. Zell though, decided to break this awkward silence and left the room.

Before anyone else would leave, Squall dabbed his mouth with a napkin and darted for the door. "I'm going to work."

Rinoa looked worriedly at Laguna, and then Ellone, and decided to follow Squall when they both gave her the "ok" to follow him. 'Good grief, why does he have to walk so fast!' She raced towards the main entrance and found Squall grabbing his keys. Quickly doing the last few steps of the long, winding stairs, she caught up with him and attempted to grin to cheer him up.

"Hey." She managed to fix her after that speedy run, but as usual she looked fabulous.

"Hey yourself," Squall replied dryly. He donned a black leather jacket along with faded black jeans that made him look hipper than he usually dressed. He was still playing with the keys, and his hand was on the doorknob, but he hadn't tried turning it. "So are you gonna come out like that or what?"

Rinoa looked at herself in the mirror. Lucky for her, almost every room in the house had one, so in case some fashion emergency came along, she could easily pull out a brush and do some fixing. Squall was right though. What in Hyne's name got her thinking that she can tag along with him in a nightgown? She blushed lightly and held up a finger to tell Squall that she was going to take a little bit, and dashed to her room.

Squall sighed and decided to sit the time off on one of the foyer chairs. Suddenly, he heard a familiar tune coming from the violin laboratory, as if someone were toying with one of the antique fiddles…except that this sounded much like…

"Zell," he wondered as only he and Laguna would normally be working in that room. He tried to follow the sound of the violin and thought it would be best to tell Zell off for touching her instrument. However, the melodious adagio of the dirge floating softly in the air was too alluring to keep him concentrating. It was as if Siren's song was beckoning him to come closer and listen to the seductive vibrations of the fiddle…the low, earthy sounds of the Stradivarius, to its crystalline pitched high notes, Squall couldn't help but stop and listen. 'Damn, I didn't know Zell could play so well.'

The music was encircling him, as if a spider were spinning its silky threads around his body and enveloping him in an erotic journey of sound that was past the point of no return. His brain had begun to paint images of scantily clad women walking towards him, the scenery of the room melting away to that of a bedroom billowing with endless yards of soft silk cloth. A dark-haired woman in front of him had gracefully glided for him, a succubus whose opulent breasts were exposed for Squall's lusty subconscious to feast on. She had begun to peel away the thin piece of cloth that separated her organ from his preying eyes, when suddenly, Squall was back in the mansion again.

Zell had come into the front foyer munching on a peach. When he saw Squall, he decided to engage in some friendly talk. "Hey, so Squall…watcha doin? Aren't you supposed to be going to Milan right now?"

Squall shook his head as if he just woke up from a dream and stared at Zell skeptically. "What the hell possessed you to play like that?"

Zell looked clueless, and he took another bite out of his fruit. "Seriously dude, I have no clue as to what you were talking about. I was helping Sophia clean up in the kitchen as I do everyday at this time in the morning remember?"

Squall folded his arms and used his height to his advantage, stealthily approaching Zell like a panther. "Are you sure you didn't steal into the laboratory and play Rinoa's violin? Cause I'm sure I saw her run into her room to change."

With his face only half a foot away, Zell decided to piss Squall off by placing the peach in that short distance between them and bit off another chunk of fruit. "Sure as the tattoo on my butt."

Squall immediately retreated back and grimaced at Zell. "Gosh, you're one sick guy!"

Zell almost coughed out the chunks of masticated peach in his mouth laughing. "Oh man that was priceless! I should have had a camera! Oh wait! There are cameras in the foyer!"

While Zell was laughing, Squall didn't notice Rinoa coming down from the winding stairs in a cream tank top, khaki capris, and stiletto sandals that increased her height (and her natural sexiness) in ways that would have driven him against the wall had there not been a laughing blonde hyena in front of him.

When Rinoa realized that Squall wasn't paying attention, she coughed lightly. Once he had averted his eyes from Zell to her, she took one of Quistis' tips and let loose the clip that had been tying her hair, allowing the strands to fall freely on her shoulders in cascades. She knew she had done her job right when Squall could do nothing but stare dumbly. He had blushed even more when Zell whispered something into his ear and bid them both farewell. Once again, they were alone.

Rinoa had been looking at her shifting feet. "Um…so do we go now?"

Squall found himself staring at her again before he said, "Ah, sure, yeah, right now." He gulped and offered her the door, being the gentleman that he was.

Once they were outside and in the car, speeding across the Italian highway, Squall's thoughts reverted back to the brief erotic dream he had with the violin. It was almost too real for his taste, and while the mental image painted by the music was indeed alluring, it was at the same time eerie as well. "Rinoa, when you went back to change, did you ever play your violin?"

She looked at him knowingly and replied, "No Squall. In fact, I think I should be practicing my violin more often or I might lose my touch. Why do you ask?"

Squall replayed the "dream" in his mind again and decided that it would be best if Rinoa didn't know anything about this. He suddenly suspected that there was more to the violin than a history with Italy's greatest manufacturer of string instruments. "Nothing. I was just checking if you were practicing."

Rinoa giggled and rested her head against the car window. "Squall, I didn't know you cared so much."

Squall looked at her at that moment when they reached a traffic light. "Rin, how could you ever doubt me not caring for you?"

Rinoa just stared at the green countryside, smiling and occasionally staring at Squall. He really was an amazing guy.

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An hour later, Squall arrived in the Teatro alla Scala. When he had found his way through the back and into his office, he asked for some coffee from his secretary and offered Rinoa to sit on the couches. Minutes later, a Mediterranean-looking woman entered the room with a tray of fine-porcelain cups with La Scala's insignia on them. Setting them on the coffee table, she looked at Squall and Rinoa before winking at her boss and saying something in Italian. Obviously, she had read the tabloids too. When she started what seemed like cheering Squall on in Italian, he smiled, brushed her away, and said something that sounded like "Oh go jump into a lake" in Italian. She exited the office giggling.

Squall sipped his coffee in silence. Rinoa saw him looking at his drink again just like he was staring at his food this morning. "You're not used to people teasing you."

Squall looked up from the cup and set it down on its saucer. "Mmm…I don't think I've ever been teased before."

Rinoa took the first sip of her coffee and let the beans' robust aromas engulf her. "What I meant is, you've never had anyone tease you about liking someone."

Squall put his coffee down and relaxed his head against the leather of his office couch. "I've never liked someone before…not like this at least."

Rinoa blushed and almost dropped her cup on the floor. "Oh…" It seemed strange to her that throughout the four years since she had become a professional, she had met several men, most of them attractive, who had wished to sweep her off her feet. Not one of them, however, had the effect that Squall had on her. "Why is that?"

Squall looked at her, his icy blue gaze boring a flame into her soul. "Because none of those girls are as amazing as you Rin. I…I don't know if love is too strong a word to describe what I'm feeling but…I think I love you." He stood up and sat beside her. "Rinoa, if this is all over, are you planning to leave Italy?" He held her hands in his, caressing her soft palms and her long, delicate fingers tenderly.

Rinoa looked away from Squall when she felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I can't stay here Squall. If I were to continue my career, I can't." She felt the urge to cry, but she didn't want to appear weak before Squall. She bit her lip to try and hold back the tears.

Squall noticed that Rinoa was on the verge of crying, and he gently turned her cheek to face him and told her sincerely, "I love you Rinoa, and I will say that over and over again. But…if I want you to be with me…" He carefully removed a small box from his coat pocket, opening it to reveal an intricately designed ring with angel wings studded with tiny diamonds surrounding a perfect blue diamond. Looking up at Rinoa's tear-streaked face, he offered, "Will you stay and be my wife?"

Rinoa felt her heart lurch in its cage and took the ring from Squall, examining the beautiful jewelry that ornamented the white gold. "I don't want to leave you Squall…I love you but I've only met you for a short while." Tears slowly streamed down her face as she continued, "As much as I want to, I have a career, and me being an international artist, I can't settle down right now." She gently put the ring in Squall's palm, feeling ever more pained by the look on his blue-grey eyes. "I'm sure you'll find someone who will be a better wife, who will be there when you need her…and I can't do that Squall. I don't want this kind of life for you. We will both end up getting hurt." She wiped the tears of her eyes her hands and stood up. Before she could reach the door, Squall grabbed her arm.

"Rinoa…I…I don't want to lose you," he managed to say. He wrapped his arms around her, causing her to open the floodgate of tears she had tried to hold back. He himself had begun to have salty tears forming in his eyelids.

'I can't do this,' Rinoa thought. 'If I hold on to him any longer, I'll only be hurt more…' With that thought, she pushed herself away from him and headed out towards the door, closing it behind her. When she was out of the office, she just stood in place…and shed her tears.

Inside, Squall was pondering on what he had just done. 'Was I taking things too quickly? Damn…if only I had known that this would happen.' He finished his coffee and returned to his desk, unable to concentrate on the mound of paperwork before him.

His thoughts returned to the day he was appointed artistic director of La Scala. The old director, Riccardo Muti, now old and ready to retire, was seeking a younger, more energetic musician to lead La Scala, but none of the younger generation of Italian musicians seemed capable of handling the heritage and history of the great temple of music. He had considered other European directors, knowing that only those who had a special affinity with the classical arts such as they could understand the growing needs of the opera-going public. Signore Muti though, found it strange that he would choose an American in the end to grace the halls of La Scala.

American-born, British-educated Squall was a young musical genius. At the age of four, he could easily play Chopin's Waltzes on the piano, and years later would play the deep, searching nocturnes as if Chopin's hands had possessed his. A concert pianist? He didn't end up as one, and he had already mastered four other instruments, namely the oboe, the flute, the violin, and the harpsichord. Despite his keen ear for music, Squall didn't end up as a conductor either, even if he had studied that as well, aced the class, and mastered it in two years time in the London College of Music. He had learned the art of opera, but he never became the director of any great opera house. He was just concentrating on musical theory and composition, yet none of these predicted the future he was going to lead…the important things he was going to be taking on when Maestro Muti would discover his brilliant mind. His fully musical schedule lent him no time for women, although occasionally some loon in the house would attempt to hook him up with café society's most lavish ladies.

And then…his big break came. Someone had introduced him to the board members of the Wienerstaater opera house, and while they were fascinated with his extremely musical mind and minimalist, yet extremely likeable taste, they didn't consider him as rightful for the Viennese public yet. Instead, they referred him to Riccardo Muti, who found Squall every bit as amazing as the great Maestros who had led the temple before him. He had Squall conduct ten of the season's thirty-five operas—La Forza del Destino, Norma, Der Fliegende Hollander, Don Carlo, Tosca, La Cenerentola, Lousie, Maria Stuarda, Manon, and Elisabetta Regina d'Inghilterra. Choosing a variety of repertoire was what Muti had in mind to test the young musician, and he wanted to know if his mind was keen for only for plain musicality. The young boy proved him wrong. From Wagner to Verdi, from Bellini to Donizetti and Rossini, to Puccini and Massenet, every single dealing of the composer's score lead to success after success. It wasn't the Italian prima donna who could amaze the Milanese public anymore. The Italian prima donna died when Maria Callas passed away. It was this young man who could find meaning within every single black mark on the score that really amazed them. It was a deep and searching quest for truth in every composer's work, from the preludios and vorspiels to the arias, sextets, quintets, and duets. Music was the canvas for Squall's art, and he painted great, majestic, even compelling pictures that evoked strong feelings within the public. He was the ideal conductor, serving no one but the composer.

Riccardo Muti decided that he had found a successor who was not only his equal, but one who was greater than him. The grandeur of his dealing of the score, and the intimacy that Squall felt with his music was something he could touch only in certain instances. Squall found that every nuance in the score, and after that season, he immediately flew Squall in from London to begin work in La Scala immediately. He was still artistic director, but Squall was now the head conductor of La Scala. Fortunately, Squall's wealthy father owned a large estate in Cremona, so transporting Squall between home and work shouldn't be a problem. A year later, Maestro Muti retired, and he handed his position down to the young man. Ever since then La Scala had regained its grandeur as the greatest house of opera on the planet.

Squall's successes in the theater had prevented him from building relationships with the several women who had desired for him though. His father was concerned that he would have no heir to leave his great estate to, so he began coaxing his daughter, Ellone, to help her brother find a suitable woman. His troubled personality was a hindrance however, and despite his occasional fling with some rich Italian family's daughter, he could never find love in the relationship.

All that changed when he met Rinoa. He didn't care if she was a world famous violinist. He was famous enough already for his accomplishments in La Scala. Something about her attracted him…it was probably the fact that she could understand him, and loved him for who he was. Now he had lost everything…all because he had moved the relationship too fast in a direction that could have startled the young woman.

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Rinoa had finally composed herself after an hour of crying in the ladies' bathroom. It was a good thing the La Scala management kept a copious stock of tissues in their closet, otherwise she would have flooded the building with her tears. She made her way towards the library, thinking if she had done the right thing on the way to the great La Scala archives.

As she snaked her way about the corridors of this house of music, she began questioning herself again if she had done the right thing. She couldn't start a relationship with Squall…it wasn't that she didn't like him. She just couldn't face the fact that she had to be on and off this relationship because of the demands of her career. But was she going to be happy without him? Could she not have a relationship with Squall?

"Rinoa, why do you look so grim?" a voice whispered in her ear.

Rinoa looked around, searching for the source of the voice. She immediately recognized it and returned, "Nick…is that you?"

A man came out of the shadows of the long corridors. He was a handsome man with well-defined cheekbones, a pale, yet somewhat elegantly sculpted face, longish dark hair that was curled slightly in the tips, and a very fine, aquiline nose. He wore a black turtleneck and slacks of the same color, completing the look with a black leather trench coat. The look he gave Rinoa reminded her very much of Johnny Depp during his younger years.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. "How on earth did you follow me all the way to Milan?"

Nick shook his head, playfully advancing slowly towards her as he said in singsong, "Rinoa, Rinoa, Rinoa…why are you always skeptical about me and my following you? Why, can I not congratulate my best friend and fellow violinist?"

Rinoa smiled at the man. "You should not do this. I am busy trying to solve some mystery with my violin. The Strad is going nuts."

Nick laughed and wheezed before regaining his composure. "Strads don't go nuts Rin. I own one myself and it plays like hot knife in a stick of butter. It's that smooth. I don't know what you would be fussing about."

Rinoa sighed and remembered the deaths at Carnegie. "I think my Strad's possessed."

"Nonsense. Those violins may be antiques but I don't see any reason why they should have some force that could make you play wacko. What really happened now?" asked her friend.

"It's…huh…it's complicated." Rinoa rubbed her temples, trying to suppress a possible headache. "I'll tell you on the way to the library."

Nick complied with her and decided to follow his friend to the legendary music archives of the great theater. She began recollecting bits and pieces of the incident, telling him how she began playing the caprices and how the patrons died like flies in an electric current. Nick did nothing but listen, as he didn't want to aggravate the situation. By the time the story ended, they had reached the archives.

They both put their hands in their pockets as they roamed the immense room. "So what exactly are we looking for?" asked Nick as his eyes followed Rinoa's gaze.

"I'm thinking of looking for some kind of diary by Antonio Stradivari or Niccolo Paganini. That could help me find some clues about the violins that were played in their hands. Perhaps…if I could find a tome or a record on every violin manufactured by Stradivari, that would be extremely helpful," she said, never facing him while scanning the area for the possible location of her materials.

Nick was already leaps ahead of her when he went down the instruments aisle, and returned to Rinoa later with an ancient-looking manuscript covered in an acrylic case. On top of the case was a pack of gloves and a pair of tweezers with rubber tips used to turn the fragile pages. "Nick, you are brilliant!"

He grinned at her and said, "Why thank you! And by the way, there is an oxygen-less room for us to read that thing if you would follow me."

Rinoa shook her head in amazement and asked, "How do you know these things?"

Nick looked back, winked at her, and replied, "I have quick eyes."

They headed towards a room that had warnings in several different languages. Rinoa understood that for them to enter, they would have to wear oxygen masks, as the place was designed exclusively for books that survived the tests of time and would have to be kept in such an environment.

Outside the room, there was a rack with shelf after shelf of disposable oxygen masks, and putting theirs on, they entered the room.

Taking both their seats on the luxurious leather chairs of the sans airs chamber, Rinoa pulled the book out of the acrylic case gingerly and set it very gently on the table. Using the tweezers, she began to turn the pages carefully, making sure that she found the Sedizione in one of these pages. Nick helped her in checking the details in the handwritten text, trying to see if the drawings resembled her violin in any form. None of them did yet, however, and they were beginning to feel hopeless when they had gone three quarters of the way through the book without a single find. Rinoa was just about to quit searching when she turned another page and gasped.

"Nick! Look!" She carefully lifted a tiny portfolio inserted in the last few pages of the tome. It didn't surprise her that something like this could have been inserted in the book. What surprised her though, was the fact that on the cover parchment, in very elegant script was written the name of Niccolo Paganini.

Nick and Rinoa looked at each other, and she started to flip each page. The old text contained the writings of the virtuoso composer, and what surprised them even more was that someone had written English notes on separate sheets of paper pasted beside each letter. Rinoa read the first one.

"Caro Contessa Rossellini,

I have received your letter from the pageboy you sent today. While it delights me to know that you desire my services and musical talents in your lavish court, I must question you first as to whether you would have the daring bravado to invite a person such as I into the circle of rich aristocrats that grace the lavish halls of your home.

You have heard the stories about me. Yes, Madame, I was placed in prison accused of a crime which I would never have the penchant to commit, and I am grateful forever to your brother for relieving me of another few years in that dank cell. I did play all my pieces with ease on the G String, and as arduous as the task was of performing the most difficult scales, trills, roulades, and pizzicatos, I managed to perform my greatest masterpieces with that instrument. It is perfection in the form of wood and string…that violin. No other instrument captures the accuracy of the dancing winds and the spell of sound better than this one which I hold in my hands. It is an infinitely more serviceable luxury now…but in the hands of amateurs, it is a disastrous plague. In mine, it is the greatest masterpiece the human mind can create. The concertos which I have composed will please you.

Enclosed in this letter is a copy of the score of my Opus 1. They are exclusively for the virtuoso yet I trust your association with Stradivari has allowed you access to one of his great instruments. Use it well, and when the time shall come, I will attend your court with my pet. Grazie signora, and addio.

N. Paganini"

Rinoa and her friend looked at each other. "One string?" they said together in unison.

"Gosh, the guy must have one possessed hand there…one string! And of all strings, the G string!" exclaimed Nick.

"I would have died in a concert if I only had one string…" Rinoa said in wonder as she stared blankly at the letter. She turned the page and found another letter, this time addressed to Antonio Stradivari. 'So Stradivari was one of Paganini's correspondents.'

"Caro Antonio,

I have received the horsehairs I asked from you today. How unfortunate it was for the horse you chose for this violin, for your perfectionism allows only the finest hairs on the beast to be included on my bow!

Tonight, I shall be performing at the house of Contessa Rossellini. The woman has personally requested that I perform one of the 24 caprices which I have written for the beautiful and sonorous tunes of your violins. I have a problem though, as the violin I had so successfully played with during one of my concerts sounds hollow. Very much unlike the fine pieces of art that are your instruments.

Send me one of your finest Antonio, as the countess deserves only the finest. I am an admirer of your violins, and nothing brings me greater pleasure than having to draw my bow over the strings of your fabulous creations.

Until we meet again.

N. Paganini"

And again, Rinoa flipped the page. It was another letter to Stradivari.

"Caro Antonio,

I don't understand this latest violin you have given me. As beautiful as the sound is, rich and deep and almost baritonal, there is something about this new specimen which I find strange…I almost feel like it's calling me to play it's music.

I have done something Antonio. My caprices, apparently, have certain difficulties which only I could conquer through certain means, and I have done it…if you understand me fully.

I don't know how to continue on from here. I shall write you again.

Addio.

N. Paganini"

Another turn of the page with Stradivari as the correspondent yet for a third time.

"Antonio,

The instrument is brilliant. It is taking over now…you are a genius. While your other violins sing…this one seduces. Make more of these violins and I shall write an opus after your amazing mind.

Grazie mille. Addio"

Rinoa and Nick stayed in the room for more than an hour, flipping through various letters of Paganini to people in the music society. Some of them were also addressed to family, with an occasional blabber or two about his concerts and such.

After an hour of glancing across Paganini's inner thoughts, his feeling about his instrument, and even more letters to family about useless things like the latest meal, a new restaurant, the Palermo scenery, and the archaic beauty of Cremona, Nick and Rinoa left the library.

Rinoa was all this time thinking about Nick. She had remembered how since they were children, Nick used to come to her house and help her with her violin. They were only kids back then, yet looking back over those years, she thought about how kind and wonderful it was of him to notice a homebody like her. Then again, they were next-door neighbors. Yet, he was somewhat different…in a way special. She looked at him and felt that the more she was with him, she felt more like she wanted to be closer to him. Would it be enough for them to be friends?

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Sorry for the extremely long wait, but I'll have another chapter ready soon…in about 3-5 days maybe. I lost my original document you see, so I wasn't able to write until now. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please read and review my story. Thank you very much and have a great time with the holidays!


	11. Chapter 11: Minuet of Sorrow

Minuet of Sorrow

Squall looked through sheet after sheet of paper about the coming season at La Scala. From the costumes, the costs, the singers, the ballets, the stage sets, the lighting engineers, the sound people, and the chorus, orchestra, and touring companies, he examined each detail with much care. He made sure that the mezzo soprano and tenor to sing the roles of Azucena and Manrico were perfect for the next Il Trovatore. Rodelinda had to have a beautiful voice, as well as a good sense of Handelian singing that allows her to do her da capo (from the start) passages with the fluidity and a knack for spontaneous variations. The next season's Norma had to be perfect as well. The Milanese wouldn't be very happy if you gave them a poor dramatist for the role of the Druid priestess Norma. But where would you find one now that Maria Callas had passed away?

Squall felt extremely stressed. The pressures of the theater, plus a few "slipups" and "dumb decisions" were really boring into him. He tried to return his thoughts to the needs of La Scala. Now, he was thinking about casting a great Verdian soprano for Il Battaglia di Legnano and to hire a beautiful French Import to sing either Thais or Manon. A coquettish Rossinian mezzo needed to have the grace and acting ability to portray Donna Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia. His tenor had to have the dramatic sense and vocal heft for Otello. He needed an all-star cast for Armida, requiring a soprano who could sing contralto, mezzo, high soprano, and coloratura ranges with effective Rossinian whim, adding to that the pressure of finding five tenor leads who were Rossini specialists. The scores had to be updated as well, as some of the operas they were presenting used ones with plenty of cuts.

For the ballets, he needed to import Moscow dancers who could interpret Musskorgy's melodious music with ease. The directors for his operas had to be top notch as well. Would he have to hire Franco Zeffirelli again? Or should he find younger talent? Squall also had to handle the Wienerstaater Opera house touring company who was coming to present Vincenzo Bellini's Il Pirata at La Scala, and the costs for hiring such a prestigious opera house was going to be quite taxing on La Scala's budget. The board had even suggested that he do four runs of Wagner's Ring Cycle for the next season, but after hours and hours of debate, Squall won and put Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and Wagner's Tristan und Isolde instead on the calendar. Great…now he had to find good Wagnerian singers, and the good ones were hard to find in a time and age when Italian bel canto and lesser-known French operas were on the rise in terms of popularity. How many good Tristans were there nowadays anyways? What about Isoldes? He had to face the fact that singers were becoming more light-voiced with the passing of the decades. Puccini, Verdi, and Wagner were becoming more and more difficult to cast.

Finding his intense workload to be exhausting, he decided to take a break and sip some coffee with a shot of Amaretto. His thoughts though, lay elsewhere.

After the incident with Rinoa this morning, he decided to give his father one of those rare calls. Needing much advice and desperately wanting her back, he could think of no one better to turn to than someone who seemed to know something about relationships, even if theirs suffered from a distance that seemed to put a million barriers between Squall and Laguna.

When Laguna answered the phone and found out it was Squall, he sounded more than happy to discover that his son was actually the person on the other end of the line. "Son! So glad you called! So what's on your mind?"

Squall felt like he just drank a cup of boiling oil. "I think I did something that I shouldn't have done."

"Continue son…I still have a violin to work on," Laguna insisted when Squall left off the conversation with a long pause.

"I…sort of said something to Rinoa that I shouldn't have done," he finally confessed.

"Ok? So what did you tell her?" As much as he anticipated this with Squall, whom he knew didn't know a rat's ass about relationships, he thought it best to be the patient and consoling listener.

There was another awkward pause before Squall said, "I sort of…asked her to marry me earlier this morning…I know I know! You don't have to tell me! It was…too fast…stupid too."

Laguna sighed from the other end of the phone. Even if he had a violin to work on, nothing made him happier than to hear Squall talking to him about his personal life. Laguna always felt like Squall was shutting him out one way or another whenever it came to things like these. Now that he was ready to talk, Laguna was ready to listen. "I suppose you realize that you shouldn't have done that."

"Duh."

Laguna laughed a bit and changed his tone from happy-go-lucky to serious. "So what are you going to do about this Squall?"

"…apologize? I don't know! You told me that you were a playboy when you were younger so give me some good advice!" Squall said irritably from his office.

Laguna sounded like he was enjoying this. "But…" he said with emphasis on the word. "I never proposed to a girl in the first week that I met her. That's the number one no-no in any relationship. Move it slowly and you get something nice and sweet. Move it too fast and both of you crash and burn."

Squall sighed loudly, taking another sip of coffee. "So what should I do?"

"I don't know…you tell me."

"Dammit…I shouldn't have called you. I knew you were going to do this."

Laguna faked a "hurt" voice from his side of the phone. "I? Your loving father would do this? Why Squall, I wouldn't do anything to upset you for what your happiness is worth. So please don't accuse me of being a…what did you call me again?"

"I didn't call you anything," Squall dryly reminded him.

"Oh…right. Oh well, let's brainstorm. Say, why don't you take her to Biffa Scala and offer her chocolates and flowers? That would really…" he began before Squall cut him off.

"No dad! That isn't going to work! I just proposed to a girl whom I thought was the perfect one or as people say "THE ONE", was refused, and I'm not going to try to make her think that I'm forcing her into this relationship again! I moved it too fast, and now I'll ruin what is left of a possible relationship if I try anything stupid again!"

Laguna fell silent and couldn't think of how to put things together. Squall was always different from him. He was a lady's man. Squall was an antisocial genius. Squall also did the biggest no-no in the history of dating, and right now, Laguna was unsure of what to do, or more importantly, what to tell him. "Sorry son. But I really wouldn't know what would be best for the both of you. I believe Rinoa is a very nice girl, but if you know that she isn't ready for a relationship, just put some distance between yourselves for a while. Afterwards, you can approach her again and then get to know here better. After that, I could say that you can probably pop the question, although by then it wouldn't be as big a surprise."

Laguna's advice was greeted by silence. "So what are you going to do about this son?"

Squall sighed into the phone while looking into a sheet of paper containing the possible cast for Il Trovatore. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Renee Fleming on the cast list for Leonora. "Dad what do you think of Renee Fleming as Leonora?"

Laguna was surprised by the sudden change of topic. Still, he answered, "Uh…I think that would be a not so good idea, considering that Renee's voice lacks the Italianate ping although I'm sure she can still pull off the role but don't change topics."

Squall laughed, his abrupt change of mood quite startling. "Ok ok…I will do that, but I'm not sure how to talk to her now."

Laguna paused for a while, not noticing that he had rubbed a huge amount of rosin on the horsehairs he was going to place on one of his bows. "Hmmm…I'd suggest that you take her out for lunch and talk. Don't talk about love or something like that. Just talk about what you've been doing…the weather…music…composers…complex pieces, Italian houses, you know, the kind of stuff you would talk about when you are friends."

"Yeah…maybe I'll do that." Squall looked at his watch and discovered that it was three in the afternoon. "Oh crap."

Laguna dropped the rosin and immediately directed his attention to Squall. "Squall! What is it? What seems to be the problem?"

Squall hurriedly arranged his paperwork on his desk, grabbing the phone with him as he put the documents in their respective file slots in his drawer. "It's well past lunch time and I forgot to take Rinoa out. She must be hungry."

"Oooh…more minus points for you…" Laguna teased while he picked up his rosin.

"Yeah shut up and go look at the frickin' bow you're working on. I think you've put too much rosin. I can hear the squeaks," Squall told Laguna with a smile hinted on his lips.

"Oh crap!" Laguna boomed. After what seemed like an hour (ok, maybe 20 seconds) of screaming and thrashing about, Laguna returned to the phone. "Hey son, where is she?"

"…I think she might be in the archives."

"Well go then and go after her. You wouldn't want to make a woman hungry."

Squall cleaned up the "mess" on his desk and locked his drawers. "Right dad. Say, what do you think of Ben Heppner as Manrico and Dolora Zajick as Azucena?"

"…Perfect."

"Alright, thanks." Squall put the phone down and just as he was about to grab his coat, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Squall said without looking to see who it was.

When he turned around he saw Rinoa come in, looking much better than she did this morning. "Oh…Rinoa, I was just about to go and see if you were up for lunch. Are you hungry?"

Rinoa sat timidly on the couch. "Um…I'm sorry Squall but I already had lunch."

Squall fixed the collar of his jacket. "Oh? Ok. I hope you don't mind me asking but where did you go?"

Rinoa sighed and smiled dreamily. "It was a friend from home who took me out to this little Roman bistro and we had some lunch. I'm a bit stuffed so I wouldn't be able to eat anymore. But if you want to eat you can go without me."

Squall brushed off the wisps of hair that semi-covered his eyes and asked, "A friend? Did one of them follow us to Milan?"

"No…this is a friend of mine who gave me a surprise visit. You should meet him sometime. He's also a great violinist. Um…he's called Nick and he's been my friend since I could remember. I'm really sorry Squall if I didn't tell you I was going out for lunch but I was a bit hungry."

Squall scratched the back of his neck, fidgeting slightly. "Ah, it's ok. I should have asked you to lunch earlier anyways."

He sat on the couch across hers and picked up a magazine, trying to find the most convenient way to avoid staring at her. "Ah…I feel I should at least take you out to have some gelato or some dessert. I feel a bit guilty for leaving you lunch-less. I mean, unless you're done with your research in the archives, I don't think I would like to leave you all alone in my office."

She looked down at her feet and began shuffling them. "Well…um…that was why I came here. I wanted to ask you if it was alright if I could go with Nick today for some sightseeing in Milan. I mean, it's been 2 years since I last saw him and I really want to spend the day with him."

"Yeah, of course you can go. I mean, I'm not your father so you don't have to ask me what to do or where you should go so…go ahead." Squall was disappointed. Mending the broken pieces wasn't going to be a very easy task. 'Who is this Nick guy anyways?' "But how are you going to get home?"

Rinoa smiled sheepishly and answered, "Um…will it be alright with you if Nick drove me back to your place?"

Squall paused for a moment whether he wanted to trust Nick or not, and answered, "Sure, sure it's okay. But does he know how to get around the area? I wouldn't want the both of you to get lost."

"Well he did drive from Cremona to Milan so that wouldn't be much of a problem." Rinoa got up and smiled at Squall. "Come, I'll introduce you to him!"

"Ok, I'll get my coat." Squall followed Rinoa to Teatro alla Scala's entrance and saw a dark-haired man standing in the ticket booth. Rinoa approached the man and smiled at them both.

"Squall, this is my friend Nick. Nick, this is Squall, the director of the theater." Squall and Nick shook hands.

"Pleased to meet you sir. It must be a really exciting job, doing what you're doing," Nick told him enthusiastically.

"Pleased to meet you too. Yeah well…it can get a bit stressful sometimes, but it is fun directing and choosing the operas for…uh, the seasons to come." Squall immediately thought, 'I hate him. He's being such a goody goody. And he looks like one too.'

Nick laughed and continued, "I could imagine. But at least being a concert violinist isn't as stressful. Although I wish I had the talent to be the world's greatest opera house's director."

'Yeah…don't rub it in dude.' Squall gave him a forced smile. "So you are a concert violinist just like Rinoa. Amazing…" Squall was beginning to dislike him. 'So what are you trying to prove? That birds of the same feather flock together and make the same feather duster?'

"It's a challenging career. I wish I could be as good as Rinoa but…I still have a lot to learn. I used to help her when she was younger…but now…"

Rinoa slapped Nick on the shoulder, laughed, and said, "Oh come on Nick. Stop wooing me already! I know you can play very well so stop telling me that you're no good!"

Nick laughed and wrapped an arm playfully around her. "Aw…you're too nice."

'I really hate that arm…although I wish it were mine,' Squall thought maliciously before interrupting them. "So Rinoa told me that you were going to go sight-seeing in Milan. She also told me that you were taking her home. If you need directions to my place, I'll give them to you and I have to go because I'm starving."

Squall gave him his home address and left the two violinists to do their sight-seeing. Somehow, he wasn't very pleased to see Nick. Competition was something Squall never liked, as he always was the best, and now that someone was actually "competing" with him for a girl he really liked, he was frustrated…furious even. He looked back and saw them hold hands. 'That's it. I've had enough.'

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Sophia was in the kitchen cutting up carrots, celery, and onions for her Osso Bucco stew. A pot of tomato sauce was simmering at the stove, filling the kitchen with the fragrance of an Italian countryside. After a trip to the fridge, she brought out a couple of veal shanks and lay them on the counter. Separating the delicate cut of meat carefully, she began to season the meat when she suddenly heard the most evocative solo violin piece playing from the cavernous recesses of the large mansion.

It was the Devil's Trill Sonata, a baroque piece with the most brilliant notes and colors and cadenzas written for the elegant instrument. Captivating her senses and sending her off to a realm where only dreams existed, Sophia began to involuntarily imagine herself as a younger woman in a sea of naked young men. She seemed to be hailed as a goddess when the men expressed their adoration for her. A young brunette with the most beautiful blue eyes began undressing her, and as she looked down, she saw that it was no longer the chubby body that she had to drag around day after day in the kitchen. No, it was a slim, toned body that she could only wish of in her dreams. Another man got up behind her, this time one with black hair and piercing green eyes. He began nipping at her neck, his young body sending of a tingling sensation throughout her system. A blonde this time knelt down and began kissing her legs. She was nearly undressed now, clad only in her undergarments when she suddenly saw the beautiful men adoring her metamorphose into creatures that seemed out of this world. Their smooth, perfect skin began growing tuff after tuff of thick, black hair. Fangs appeared where their canines used to be, and their beautiful eyes changed from their former shade to one of blood-red.

Sophia screamed when the men turned into demons. Trying to shake them off, she ran across the sea of creatures when she suddenly met a dead end. The demons began to approach her, and one of them had slashed at her stomach when she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Sophia? Sophia! What is going on?" Sophia opened her eyes to see the very concerned face of Laguna looking at her. She immediately backed away, fearing that he might transform into one of those creatures that had attacked her in her strange dream.

"Sir…please don't kill me…"

Laguna knelt down to comfort his maid. "It's ok Sophia. I'm not here to hurt you. I heard you screaming earlier so I came down to see if everything was alright."

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Quistis and Seifer were taking a stroll down the woods of the Leonhart estate. Admiring one of the trees, Quistis paused to take one of the brilliant red leaves and examined the wonderful specimen carefully.

"Autumn is so beautiful…" she sighed. She continued down the path with Seifer trailing closely behind her. "Seifer, if this is all over, what do you plan to do?"

Seifer pushed away a branch that was in the way of his tall form and paused to think. "I don't know yet. If this is going to be over soon, and I hope it is because I'm beginning to miss the steaks in New York, I might go and…erm…never mind."

Quistis hated that word. Putting the leaf in her pocket and approaching Seifer, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh come on Seifer…you don't have to keep these secrets from me. What are you planning?"

Seifer kissed her hand and put it down on her sides. "Like I said…never mind. It's nothing important anyways so stop thinking about it babe."

Quistis pouted and crossed her arms together, frowning even more when Seifer ignored her look and began to walk again. "Seifer…I…"

She suddenly paused when she heard a violin playing from the mansion. 'Gosh…I didn't know that violins could project that far.' Strangely attracted to the piece, she began walking in a trance-like state towards the sound.

It was the caprice no. 5 of Paganini, an extremely difficult piece that when played could only be described as…diabolical.

As Quistis walked towards the source of the violin, she saw the leaves begin changing color around her. The yellows turned to red and the reds slowly began wilting to a shade of dead brown. Everything around her looked dead. Where there was once grass was an empty patch of ground. She looked up. The sky looked desolately dark. She looked down again and strange enough, the ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow. "That's strange," she murmured to herself. "How…how did the seasons change so quickly?"

In the distance, she saw a beautiful white wolf prowling about. It had seen her, and although she had never encountered a wolf before, she knew that the best thing to do was to not startle the creature or run unless it was chasing after you.

Staying put and finding it even stranger that she didn't feel any of the cold, she was surprised when the wolf slowly approached her, showing no sign of aggression. When the animal was just three meters in front of her, it sat down and whimpered at her like a house dog.

Feeling safer this time, she held out her hand cautiously to its nose, again being careful not to startle the animal. Inspecting her scent, the wolf began sniffing her hand and licked it carefully. Pleased, the animal whimpered and began to lick Quistis' hand. She placed her other hand beneath the wolf's jaw and began tickling its neck. It really was a sweet animal. So beautiful too…

Suddenly, the wolf pounced on her. Quistis screamed loud when she saw the animal open its mouth in front of her. Just as she thought her time had come, she found herself laughing again when the wolf tickled her neck with his tongue. "Okay! Okay buddy!" She got up and patted the wolf on the head. "So what do you want to play?"

The wolf looked at a stick and looked back at Quistis. She immediately understood what he wanted and picked up the dead twig hurling it as far as she could. Moments later, the animal came padding back towards her, stick in mouth, and tail wagging happily. She grabbed the dead wood and threw it a second time. Again, the animal returned, seemingly happy for her playing with it. This time, she used all her strength to hurl it across the field. Just as the wolf was running after it, she saw it fall backwards, a pool of blood forming on its head and its brains spilled on the grounds. It was only then that she realized that someone had fired a gun. She screamed, finding her the creature massacred like that before her very eyes.

She looked around, searching for the attacker. When she found a man coming from the distant woods with a large gun in his hands, she froze on the spot. "Who…who are you?" He was covered from head to foot in grayish fur. His face was covered by a mask and a couple of strange-looking goggles.

The man made no response as he continued walking, this time approaching her instead of the wolf's corpse. Quistis found that she couldn't move, and when her senses finally got the better of her, she began to race in the opposite direction when the man grabbed her arm.

"Don't move." She was forced to turn around made her face him. "Running away from me won't do you any good."

She immediately recognized the voice. "Seifer?" Her eyes were white with fear. While she felt relieved that it was Seifer behind the mask, she still was unsure of what he could do to her…especially with the vicious-looking guns behind his back.

The hunter slowly peeled off his mask, revealing Seifer's Nordic-looking face. She could see that smartass gleam in his green eyes when he gave her his usual smirk. Her anger though, quickly subsided when he swooped down on her for a kiss.

When she opened her eyes, she was relieved to see him more clearly, but she immediately noticed the change of environment around her. No longer was she in the snowy wasteland. This was a torture chamber she was in. Various instruments of torture lined the blood-stained walls. She looked again at Seifer. He was now grinning at her, but it wasn't his usual boyish grin which made her heart flutter. Looking down, she found that her feet were linked to the floor with iron chains.

"Seifer…please don't hurt me…" Tears had begun to stream down her face.

He didn't turn around. Seifer walked across the other side of the room and found something that looked like a golf club case. Setting it down beside her, he kissed her again. Opening the bag, Seifer lifted the tools inside to reveal extremely sharp katanas.

And then it happened…

Seifer lifted the blade parallel to his chest and pierced through both of Quistis's breasts. She screamed when the sharp metal passed through her. She saw him grab another knife from the bag, and this time holding it vertically, he brought it down on her shoulder.

"SEIFER!"

"Quistis!"

Grinning manically at her, he brought out another one of his weapons and plunged it through her stomach, wrenching it around to damage her internal organs. The world around her had begun to turn black.

"Quistis…"

Just when he was about to stab her in the heart, she suddenly blacked out and woke up to someone calling her name. She was back in the Leonhart estate. When she found Seifer staring at her and shaking her, she screamed loud enough to cause a flock of birds to fly away from the trees, and collapsed.

"Quistis!"

Seifer touched her wrist with two of his fingers and was relieved to find out that she was breathing. However, she was unconscious, and this prompted Seifer to carry her back to the mansion.

'This is really strange…' he thought as he made his way back with Quistis in his arms.

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Next chapter is coming up soon, but I hope you take the time to read and review this chapter. The next one: La Tarantella Macabre


	12. Chapter 12: La Tarantella Macabre

La Tarantella Macabre

The darkness had just begun to veil the streaks of light from the night sky, blending a palette of purples and oranges across its vast expanse. On the horizon, a flock of birds had started their journey south to dodge the cold of winter. 'Twas another beautiful day in Italy. Beautiful, yes, in all the glory of creation. However, a scattering of broken hearts left others feeling unmoved by nature's glory.

Squall drove his Ferrari back to his mansion, hoping that Rinoa and Nick would arrive earlier. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he DID NOT like Nick and DID NOT want him anywhere near Rinoa. When he arrived at his gates, he saw his father waiting for him at the front door.

Stepping out of the handsome sports car, he immediately approached the steps when he saw the alarmed look on Laguna's face. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Squall, I've been trying to contact you for the past few hours but…no one was answering your phone."

'Contact me? Why is he trying to contact me? And why does he look so scared?' Squall wondered as he opened the French doors to his mansion. "What happened?"

Laguna sprinted inside and led Squall to his laboratory, finding a very distraught, wide-eyed, and pale-looking Sophia and an unconscious Quistis on the couch. Selphie, Irvine, and Seifer were looking after the two women, and Sophia looked like she had been crying for the past few hours. A garbage bin next to her was full of used tissues.

Squall looked around worriedly. What had happened when he was gone? "What happened Sophia?"

Sophia wiped her tears with another new sheet of tissue and mumbled. "Si…sir…I…I do..d-…do not know what happened…"

He turned to his father and asked, "Dad…were they attacked earlier?"

Laguna turned around and started pacing back and forth. "No…no they weren't."

"Then what happened?" inquired Squall.

"…Squall…I found Sophia panicking in the kitchen and screaming. Seifer brought Quistis here and said she had been screaming too." Squall looked at the two blondes and saw Seifer guarding Quistis like a ready watchdog.

"How did this happen?"

Laguna paused with his brows furrowed. "That is what we are trying to figure out. I haven't made anything coherent out of what Sophia has been saying. Maybe you could understand her. After all, your Italian is much more fluent than mine."

Squall sighed and approached the maid who had taken care of them since they were little. He placed a hand on her shoulder and asked gently, "Sophia, it's ok. Nothing is going to hurt you now. But…can you tell us what happened?"

Sophia looked blankly into space and began quivering when Squall asked her to recall the incident. "D…De…Demonio."

"Demons?" Squall asked, his brow furrowed as he watched Sophia's pupils dilating every now and then.

Sophia averted her attention to Squall and nodded. "Si, Signore…Demonio. They attacked me!"

"What?" Squall asked, unsure of what he was hearing.

"In my dreams…signore…demons tried to attack me," she said, clasping her hands to her chest as her breathing became deep and shallow. "E strano…il questo sogno (How strange, this dream)," she whispered as if in a trance.

Squall tried to think of a suitable question. "What were you doing before this?"

Sophia looked down at her feet and mumbled, "I was making dinner for all of you. And then…" She tried to concentrate on the details of her dream when her eyes shot wide open. "La musica!"

Everyone stared at her when she uttered those two words. "Music?" Laguna asked her. "What about music?"

Sophie attempted to calm down, clasping her hands together while controlling her seemingly endless shivering. "There was a violin playing signore, and it was coming from the mansion. The music made me dream about those male succubus that tried to kill me sir. Il sogno…it was almost too real…"

Laguna calmed Sophie down and said, "It's alright Sophie, everyone's here." Turning to everyone, he asked them, "Is anyone hungry?"

Selphie and Irvine raised their hands, and so did Seifer. Laguna stood up, supporting Sophia's weight with his arms. "Okay everyone, Sophia wasn't able to make dinner tonight, so we're going out." When Laguna and Sophia were at the door, he turned to Zell. "Zell, we have a few veal shanks left out in the kitchen. I want you to place everything in the freezer so that nothing goes to waste."

Zell nodded his head and was out of the room faster than Rinoa could have played her violin. Laguna turned to Squall. "Where is Rinoa?"

"…she's with a friend who came to visit her."

"Do they know the way back?" Laguna asked his son.

"Yeah."

"If she hasn't eaten dinner yet, I suggest that you take her to the bistro when she arrives ok?" Laguna left the room afterwards to ready one of the vans.

Selphie and Irvine put on their coats and were just about to exit the room. "What about Quistis?" Selphie asked Seifer.

After Seifer put on a long, grey trench coat, he lifted Quistis into his arms. "I'm taking her to her room."

Squall suddenly stood up. "Seifer, I think it would be better for Quistis if she were rested and stayed somewhere where I can watch her. Why don't you take her to the living room instead?"

Seifer turned around and looked at Squall curiously. "Why, aren't you coming with us?"

Squall shook his head and replied, "I had a huge late lunch at work, so I'm not hungry. Besides, there's a lot of food in the house and I'm not very picky with what I eat so if you want to leave her here, you can. I don't think it would be very safe for Quistis to be left all alone in her room."

Seifer closed his eyes, nodded, and lay Quistis on the couch. "That, I would agree with you on." Softly caressing her sleeping face, he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Squall, if she ever starts screaming or mumbling, by all means do not hesitate to wake her up."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Squall helped Seifer again as they carried Quistis to the spacious room. They both lay her gently on one of the large, tapestry-upholstered couches. "Aren't you going to be bored?" Selphie asked Squall as he brought a large comforter down from one of the cabinets and placed it on Quistis.

"Bored? Me? Nah," Squall said when he pressed a button on the table. Suddenly, a panel on the wall turned around 180 degrees to reveal a large flat-screen TV. "There's a football game tonight between Italy and Portugal and I wouldn't want to miss that."

Irvine scratched his head. "Football? You guys play football here in Europe?"

Squall shook his head and answered, "Sorry about that, I mean to say soccer. I think I've gotten used to European terminology for sports so…just so you would know, soccer is called football and no we don't play American football as an advertised sport."

Selphie giggled for a moment, resting her head on Irvine's shoulder. "That's all you're going to do? Watch a game? And wait a minute! Where's Rinoa? You're supposed to be making out with her!"

Squall blushed a dark shade of crimson red and mumbled, "Well, she's out with a friend tonight so…that's how the story goes."

"A friend?" Selphie urged on even further. "What kind of friend? Girl? Or is it…a hetero…homo…or metro?"

"…He's a guy friend ok? They've been friends since childhood."

"Oooooh…a childhood guy friend! OH my GD! We have a love triangle here! Oh gosh this is soooooooo exciting! AH!" she screamed ecstatically while bouncing up and down. Irvine had to hold her to keep her from jumping up to the ceiling

"…Whatever. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be going out soon? If I'm not wrong, my dad's taking you to La Tratoria del Luna. The place gets packed around this time so if you don't leave, you'll be left out hungry," Squall told them irritably.

"Fine…fine…" Selphie drawled while flicking her hand up and down at him. "But anyways, tell me more about this when we get back ok?" She winked at him and they all exchanged goodbye's before leaving the room. Soon, Squall was left alone in the room with Quistis.

"Ok…so what am I supposed to do with you?" he wondered out loud. Seeing the large TV ripe for watching, he picked up the remote and pushed on the power button.

"Ah hell…you'll be alright anyways…" Switching the channels to the moment of the evening where the match between Portugal and Italy's football (or soccer) team was on the air, he began to relax on the couch, cheering every now and then when Italy would score a goal.

About a few minutes after he started watching though, his thoughts decided to drift elsewhere. 'I wonder how Rinoa's doing...'

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Rinoa was enjoying the breeze flying through her hair…or her hair flying as a result of a breeze…that didn't matter to her anyways. She was enjoying the Italian countryside again with the agility and the sexy roar of an Italian sports car…only thing was…it wasn't Squall's…it was Nick's.

"Rinoa, I had fun today," Nick told her with a grin while snaking across the highway.

"Yeah, me too," she said with a smile. Sighing contentedly, she rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

Nick suddenly felt uncomfortable…yet pleased in a sort of way. "Rinoa…um…I'm driving and it doesn't help that a genius like you with quite the brain mass is leaning her head against my shoulder."

"Oh," Rinoa remarked while giggling. "Sorry about that."

"Ehehaha…yah…you'd better be…wouldn't want to get into a car accident would we?" Nick grinned again.

"Oh duh…no I wouldn't want to get into an accident," Rinoa stated plainly with sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey, don't be mean…besides you have a boyfriend to go home to," he told her, his stomach lurching at the mention of 'boyfriend'…meaning Squall.

Rinoa blushed furiously and slapped him on the shoulder several times. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ouch! Youch!" Nick screamed out loud, laughing while trying to keep his grip on the wheel. "Okay! Okay! So he's not your boyfriend! Geez! If you weren't so guilty…I would have assumed that you liked him!"

Rinoa slumped back on her seat after her moment of fuming at Nick. "I like him but not in that way!"

"Ah, but who confessed to me earlier about a little infatuation with the director?" he smirked at her. "I believe that was you."

Rinoa rolled her eyes and put her hand in front of Nick's face. "What—ever!"

"Yeah…whatever…you're blushing," Nick stated while chuckling, still keeping his eyes on the road when a vintage Alfa Romeo suddenly passed them by. "Whoa! What a cool car!"

"I'm not blushing!" Rinoa defended herself. "Just because my cheeks are rosier than your pale, almost vampiric ones it doesn't mean I'm blushing."

"Ah…rosy cheeks. You do have rosy cheeks, but keep in mind that your rosy cheeks are even rosier now. Either you have a fever or you went crazy on the make up."

"You know…you're starting to tick me off. If you don't shut up about me liking boys, I will…"

"OHHH…so you don't like guys! Are you lesbian?" Nick asked her again, emphasizing his last question.

"YOU SON OF A….AAAGH! I hate you!" She crossed her arms and looked away from the passenger's side. "You are the biggest jerk I have ever met!"

"Ok, ok…sorry," he sincerely told her. "Ok fine, let me make it up to you."

"Yeah? How do you plan to do that?"

Nick suddenly stopped his car, and leaned towards Rinoa. "Rinoa…you don't know how long…"

Rinoa inched away from him and said, "Nick…no…"

Nick put both her hands in his gently. "Rinoa, please hear what I have to say. I've always liked you. In fact, I think that the more I see you, the more I…I fall in love with you."

"Nick…" Rinoa sighed. "Please…"

"Will you be my girlfriend at least? Just give me a chance," he almost begged her.

Rinoa closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. "I don't know Nick. I have to see if my feelings are of friendship or more for you. I don't want to lose the friendship we have."

"Then can I kiss you at least to confirm if these feelings are real?" asked her friend, now staring her intently in the eye.

Rinoa paused, sighed and nodded her head. "Go ahead."

Nick inched closer to Rinoa's face, his heart thumping harder and harder while Rinoa remained hesitant. When their lips touched, he gave her a soft tender kiss. Soon enough, he was on his side of the car, breathing heavily. "I guess we're just friends huh?"

Rinoa's stomach lurched when Nick had kissed her. It felt different from Squall's kiss. This one felt genuine yet dry…as if something were missing. "Nick…don't feel bad…please. I mean, you have something more than any guy could ever want…and that is my friendship. I don't want to lose that."

Nick stared into the purple horizon as he continued to drive the rumbling car across the highways. "Yeah…I guess you're right."

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Squall had decided to play darts after the match was over. He was annoyed by the fact though, that he couldn't get the darts where they were supposed to land.

'Damn darts…I used to be so good…' He threw the last one and it missed the bull's eye only by a few millimeters. "…whatever."

He slumped back on the couch and checked on Quistis. She had been asleep all this time but somehow…he knew that her sleep wasn't caused by some nauseating feeling which inflicts nearly everyone who had dizzy spells and collapses of this sort. As he drew closer to her, he attempted to open one of her eyes with his fingers.

'…she looks unconscious…but her pupils are dilating…how odd…'

Grabbing a flashlight, he directed the beam of light on her pupil to see if it would respond. It did…and not a moment to soon, Quistis was screaming.

She shot up the couch and began sweating heavily and panting. "SEIFER! NO..oooo!…oh…Squall?"

"…" Squall was speechless. Never before did he have to deal with a screaming female…well…he dealt with women who sang notes higher than Quistis' scream but this was different.

"Where am I?" she wondered out loud, taking in her surroundings. "Is this the mansion?"

"Yeah."

"Oh gosh…I had a dream…and…" Quistis proceeded to tell Squall about the vivid dream she had just experienced. When she had finished narrating her nightmare, she looked into Squall's eyes. 'Whoa…he does have nice eyes.' "It felt almost too real…but wait a minute! Wasn't I in the woods with Seifer?"

Squall remembered everything his father had told him earlier. "Well…you were in the woods and then Seifer found you unconscious. You were out for a few hours until I tried to wake you up just now."

"Oh…" Quistis mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "So where is everyone?"

Squall stood up and picked up his darts. "Sophia had a similar experience to yours. She was cooking at the time she had the dream…but she wasn't able to continue because of the emotional trauma." He threw a dart at the target. It was only about a millimeter away from the bull's eye this time. "So they all went out to eat. I'm not hungry and I'm afraid that you might get the dream again."

"Why?" Quistis asked him, obviously confused.

"Call it a hunch, but I'd like to think that there's more to these dreams than mere coincidence. I'm beginning to imagine that the vio…never mind, I don't think it matters but…" He threw another dart, and this time it hit the target.

"…you are fine right now so that's all that we should be pleased about. And…don't think about that dream anymore. It's over now and you should probably be enjoying yourself."

Quistis stood beside him and looked at the target. "You know, I used to be an expert dart thrower at high school."

"Yeah? Well why don't you give it a try?" he suggested, handing her five darts.

Quistis gave him a smirk and threw a dart. It immediately hit the bull's eye.

"Lucky," Squall muttered.

"Luck is always on my side…" Quistis said while hurling another one and hitting the red dot once again. "…Cause I'm good!"

Squall rolled his eyes and threw a dart at the bull's eye. "I was warming up."

Quistis chuckled and threw another one, hitting the center again. "I didn't need to."

Soon, they held a dart-throwing competition and about 10 minutes later, Quistis declared herself the winner. She was laughing when she fell back on the couch. "Oh Squall…you know, sometimes I find it hard to believe that your memory is such a wuss."

Squall gave her a confused look and mumbled, "I don't get you."

Quistis waved a finger at him. "But…you don't remember me? Or Irvine? Or Selphie? Or Seifer even? I even remembered Zell!"

"…Are you alright? Maybe that dream warped your head." Squall told her again, ruminating everything that she had just told him.

"Alright…since you are so forgetful, maybe I should remind you that we all went to the same preschool. We attended the first few years of elementary together and went on our separate ways. I could even remember that when we were little, while all of us were playing ball or other silly kiddie games you were in that little corner of the music room playing Mozart or something."

Squall looked blankly at the space before him, trying to recall his preschool days. "How do you remember all this?"

"You're famous Squall. It's not everyday that a childhood friend of mine becomes a director of one of the world's greatest theatres. Our parents knew each other too, and when you became famous, they told me about you and it all came back to me."

"Why didn't you tell me then when you first arrived?"

Quistis looked down at her feet and said almost in a whisper, "You've gone so far in life Squall. I was afraid that it would hurt if I tried to remind you and you just forgot. I'd thought you would be a snob. Thankfully, I was wrong."

"Well…you are about me being a snob but…my memory's still drawing a lot of blanks. Do you have a photo at least?"

Quistis perked up. "Do I? I carry it everyday!" she said enthusiastically while grabbing her purse. Fishing out her wallet, she picked a photograph out of the case and showed a black and white picture of six children with their parents all smiling goofily save one—Squall.

"Then why doesn't Zell remember any of this?"

Quistis giggled and sighed. "Same case as you probably. But don't you remember Zell from your preschool days?"

Squall shook his head. "Zell's hairdo is totally different…and he has that ugly tattoo too…so I never recognized him. When he first applied for a position with my dad, Laguna was still teaching in Princeton as a music theory professor and a chemist. He decided to come back to Italy to pursue his passion (making violins, that is), and his business expanded and became a well-known violin artisan worldwide. He got rich making violins for the greatest, and he also makes some for concert halls and orchestras. He owns another business too…one that involves chemical engineering I think and Zell was intrigued about that position. He also wanted to work in Italy so my dad invited him and that's how the story goes. Now, he just does some stocks business and does most of his work at home."

Quistis listened in awe at Squall's story. "You are very fortunate Squall. But try to remember something significant at least."

Squall did the Thinker pose and began recalling all his memories. "Well, I do remember playing Turkish Rondo once and some little girl…I think it was Selphie, began banging on the keys and I lost my way in the piece."

Quistis laughed out loud. "Yes, that was Selphie. She wanted you to come and play with us but all you would do is give attention to Mozart."

"Ah…and I'm guessing you were the blonde crushing on me and staring dreamily at me while I played the piano?" Squall told her with a smirk.

'What? HE NOTICED ME LOOKING AT HIM?' Quistis blushed furiously and said, "Squall! I didn't have a crush on you! Maybe that was…"

"Xu? She wasn't blonde. Besides, I remember she resembles you in a way."

"OK FINE! That was me but don't get any thoughts in your head! I'm with Seifer now!" she screamed at him with her hands at the side.

"Whoa! Why are you mad? That was years ago!" Squall blurted out.

"Because you're being…a kid!"

"Who's acting pissy?"

"…you…Squall Leonhart…agh!"

Squall suddenly heard someone come in the front door. "They must be back."

"Let's just wait here. I don't want to go out just now to be bombarded with questions," Quistis said, leaning against the comfortable couch. She looked at Squall and smiled. "It's been so long Squall. I'm glad you're back." She moved closer to him and gave him a warm, friendly hug.

"Yeah, we have um…12 years or more of catching up to do right?"

The door suddenly opened and Rinoa entered the room. "Oh, I thought everyone had left the house and…" She suddenly stopped when she saw the both of them hugging. "Oh…did I interrupt something? I…I…I'm sorry…" she said softly, closing the door behind her.

Quistis and Squall looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Maybe you should go to her Squall…I think…"

"I understand." With that, he left the room and ascended the stair to Rinoa's quarters. When he had arrived, he found the door slightly open, Rinoa standing on the other side of the room as she looked outside the window.

"Rin?"

"Yes Squall?" she said, her voice shaky.

"Is there something going on?" He was behind her right now, and when he looked at her face, he saw a few tears begin to form.

"No…nothing's going on…" Her body shook upon Squall's touch.

"Why are you crying then?"

She looked away from him and wiped away the salty liquid from her eyes. "I'm not crying. I just have something…"

"…in your eyes? That's what they always say." When she didn't say anything, he continued explaining. "If it was about Quistis and me earlier, please don't think that way about us. I just discovered that we had attended school together when we were younger."

Rinoa turned around, her eyes beginning to puff up from her tears. "Really?"

Squall held one of her arms and pulled her closer, wiping off one of her tears with a thumb. "It's ok…"

She leaned against his chest, feeling the familiar warmth of his body as his arms wrapped around her.

"I'm sorry," Squall suddenly told her.

Rinoa looked up at him. "What about?"

"For…you know…proposing. I wasn't thinking right," he confessed.

Rinoa smiled and rested her head on his chest again. "No," she laughed. "You weren't…but honestly, do you really love me?"

Squall looked up, his face sporting a smart-thinking look. "I might love you…but then again doesn't love last forever?"

Rinoa was enjoying their proximity, relishing the firmness of Squall's chest. "Of course it does."

"So maybe you cou…never mind…" Squall said, pulling away from the hug and walking towards the door. As he was just about to leave, Rinoa grabbed his hand.

"Squall? If there's something on your mind, please tell me," she asked him sincerely.

Squall gazed into the pools of chocolate eyes that seemed to lure his senses like a magnet. He wanted her, but he could never have her. After all, if this whole thing was over, didn't she have a career to return to? He was being selfish. He closed his eyes and said, "Rinoa…I don't know how to say this but…after all of this…are you really leaving for good?"

Rinoa led him to her bed and they both sat on one side. "I've been thinking about that…but as much as I want to stay…I have a career. But who knows? Let me just say one more thing."

"Hmmm?"

"If you really love someone, no matter how great the distance that separates you, your love will remain strong…if that is true love, it will. My mom told me that once," she said to him with a smile.

Taking her hand gently in his, he kissed her eyes and hugged her lovingly again. "I love you Rinoa Heartilly."

"And I love you too Squall Leonhart."

They both held each other in their embrace until Squall asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

She shook her head and said, "I didn't bother to have dinner with Nick tonight."

"Why?"

Rinoa gracefully glided towards the door. "There are people who are friends…and there are those who are special."

Squall felt his heart leap. "Um…so I was thinking, maybe…maybe I should cook dinner for you and Quistis."

Rinoa abruptly stopped and looked back at Squall with her bewildered look. "You cook? You can cook?"

Squall gave her a smirk. "Watch me."

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WOOHOO! FINISHED! By the way, this story was once in the M section but because of lack of reviews, I decided to transfer it to the T section. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please check out my other story, Secrets in the Dark. Oh! And Please read and review! The next chapter: Aria of Silence


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